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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/indavidstownOOburr 


— 


6    1943 


'G7CAL  S 


In  David's  Town 


David  James  Burrell,  D.D.,  LLD. 


AMERICAN   TRACT  SOCIETY 


150  Nassau  Street 


New  York 


Copyright,  1910,  by 
AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Noel 7 

II.  The  Bells  are  Ringing  18 

III.  The  Time  is  at  Hand    ....  24 

IV.  The  Shepherds  sit  "  Chatting  in 

a  Rustic  Row"     .     .     .     .     .35 

V.     The  Star  Appears 46 

VI.     What  the  Wise  Men  Saw     .      .     56 

VII.     The  Child  and  the  Emperor       .     65 

VIII.    The  Closing  Hymn       .     .      ,     .     76 


To  you,  in  David's  town,  this  day 

Is  bom,  of  David's  line, 
A  Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the  Lord, 

And  this  shall  be  the  sign: 
The  heavenly  Babe  you  there  shall  find, 

To  human  viezv  displayed, 
All  meanly  wrapped  in  swathing  bands 

And  in  a  manner  laid. 


IN  DAVID'S  TOWN 

i 

NO  EL 

TRAVELLER,  climbing  over  the 
hills  that  skirt  the  Vale  of  Hebron, 
had  grown  weary  of  the  monotonous 
landscape,  when  his  muleteer  turned 
and,  pointing  to  a  huddled  throng  of 
white  buildings  in  the  distance,  said,  "  Behold, 
Effendi ;  it  is  Bethlehem  !  " 

The  star  that,  to  complete  the  picture,  should 
have  been  hovering  over  the  village,  was  not 
there ;  the  hot  sun  instead  was  blazing  down 
upon  it.  A  mosque  stood  in  the  foreground,  be- 
yond which  was  a  convent,  surmounted  by  a 
cross. 

Thither  the  traveller  turned  his  steps.  As 
he  appeared  he  heard  the  pealing  of  an  organ  and 
voices  chanting  "Ave,  Maria;  ora  pro  nobis!" 

At  the  doorway  an  Italian  monk,  in  the  brown 
habit  of  the  Capuchins  with  cowl  and  sandals  and 
a  hempen  rope  about  his  loins,  bade  him  wel- 
come.    "  But  before  you  enter,"  he  said,  point- 


8  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

ing  to  a  grotto  in  the  opposite  rock,  "  observe 
where  the  virgin  mother  found  refuge  from  the 
wrath  of  Herod  before  the  flight  into  Egypt." 

He  led  the  way  through  the  broad  hall,  the 
Chapel  and  the  Reliquarium,  where  among  other 
relics  was  a  little  brown  and  shrunken  hand 
which  the  monk  assured  him  had  belonged  to 
one  of  the  infants  slain  in  Herod's  massacre.  A 
stairway  here  descended  into  a  large  chamber 
where  Jerome  is  believed  to  have  written  the 
Vulgate  version  of  the  Scriptures.  Further  to 
the  left  was  the  entrance  to  the  Grotto  of  the 
Nativity,  a  semi-circular  recess,  illuminated  by  a 
score  of  pendent  chandeliers  and  paved  with 
mosaic,  in  the  center  of  which  was  a  golden  star 
bearing  the  legend: 

Hie  natus  est  Jesu  Christus  de  Virga. 

The  traveller  stood  at  the  threshold  of  this 
Grotto  deeply  moved  by  its  sacred  memories. 
He  saw  the  altar  at  its  further  end,  dimly  lighted 
by  five  latticed  lamps ;  over  the  altar  a  picture 
of  the  Nativity ;  on  one  side  a  hollowed  slab  of 
marble,  the  reputed  "  manger "  of  the  Christ- 
child;  on  the  other  a  stone  prie-dieu  where  the 
three  kings  of  the  Orient  sat  while  offering  their 
gifts.  As  his  eyes  wandered  from  one  object  to 
another  they  rested  at  length  on  the  low  archway 
above  him,  where  two  Hebrew  words  had  been 


THE   CHURCH    OF    THE    NATIVITY,    BETHLEHEM. 
THE   GROTTO   OF  THE    NATIVITY. 


NOEL  9 

graven  so  deeply  in  the  stone  that  centuries  had 
not  obliterated  them : 

He  looked  inquiringly  at  his  companion,  who 
beckoned  toward  the  chapel. 

A  little  later,  as  they  sat  together  there,  the 
monk  explained :  "  The  ancient  name  of  this 
place  was  that  which  you  saw  engraven  on  the 
arch,  '  The  House  of  Chimham.'  You  remember, 
perhaps,  that  Chimham  was  the  son  of  the  aged 
Barzillai  who  befriended  David  on  his  flight  from 
Absalom.  On  this  parcel  of  ground,  which  the 
king  bestowed  upon  him  in  consideration  of  his 
father's  services,  he  built  him  a  home.  As  years 
passed  the  home  became  a  caravansary ;  and  here 
— so  runs  the  story — Joseph  and  Mary  applied 
for  shelter  when,  spent  with  their  journey,  they 
came  to  Bethlehem." 

The  monk's  narrative  was  here  interrupted  by 
the  clear  stroke  of  a  bell  from  the  tower  of  the 
convent.  He  rose  with  a  hasty  apology  and 
left  the  traveller  sitting  on  the  oaken  bench 
alone.  The  bell  presently  ceased  tolling,  and 
the  vesper-song  in  the  chapel  fell  upon  the  trav- 
eller's ears.  The  tranquillizing  influence  of  the 
place  and  the  hour  overpowered  him. 

An  aged  Jew  standing  beside  him  seemed  to- 
be  saying,  "  I  was  once  the  landlord  of  this  Inn." 


io  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

"  It  must  have  been  long  ago,"  the  traveller 
answered ;  "  the  monks  have  dwelt  in  this  mon- 
astery since  the  Empress  Helena  founded  it." 

"Yes,  I  was  here,"  he  said,  "at  the  time  of 
the  taxing  under  Cyrenius.  That  was  the  year 
the  Messiah  was  born." 

"  Tell  me,  then,"  asked  the  traveller,  "  how  it 
was  that  you  did  not  entertain  Joseph  and  Mary  ? 
Surely  you  knew  the  necessity  was  urgent. 
Could  you  not  have  made  some  provision  for 
the  man  and  his  weary  companion?" 

"  Alas,  I  did  not  know !  The  Hope  of  Israel 
was  indeed  about  to  be  realized,  but  how  should 
I  have  understood  it?  Our  rulers  themselves 
were  blind.  I,  a  mere  inn-keeper,  how  was  I 
to  know?" 

There  was  a  tone  of  deep  sadness  and  im- 
measurable regret  in  his  voice  as  he  proceeded: 
"  I  remember  it  all  very  clearly.  It  was  at  the 
close  of  a  short  winter's  day  that  the  pilgrims 
arrived.  The  Inn  was  overcrowded.  That  was 
the  time  of  the  census,  you  know ;  and  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  lineage  of  David  were  all  required 
to  enroll  here.  They  had  been  coming  in  for 
days,  and  every  lezvan  was  full.  And  what  was 
there  to  specially  commend  these  pilgrims  to  me  ? 
It  is  true  they  were  of  royal  descent,  but  of 
fallen  fortunes,  too.     The  man  was  a  mere  peas- 


NOEL  ii 

ant,  a  carpenter,  as  he  told  me,  from  the  de- 
spised town  of  Nazareth.  Which  of  the  distin- 
guished guests  in  my  caravansary — priests,  rab- 
bis, wealthy  traders — could  I  displace  to  make 
room  for  him?  Had  I  realized  what  subse- 
quently proved  to  be  the  fact  I  might  have  acted 
differently ;  but  how  was  I  to  know  ?  " 

"  Was  it  with  your  consent,"  asked  the  trav- 
eller, "that  they  found  shelter  in  the  cave  near 
by?" 

"  It  was.  That  was  all  I  could  do.  It  was 
better  for  them  than  to  rest  under  the  open  sky. 
There  were  cattle  there  and  beasts  of  burden,  so 
that  the  place  afforded  shelter  from  the  wind; 
and  there  was  barley-straw  to  rest  on." 

"  And  the  Messiah  was  born  that  night?  " 

"  That  very  night.  The  first  intimation  we 
had  of  the  Child's  birth  was  in  the  early  twilight 
of  the  morning  when  a  company  of  shepherds 
came  to  the  Inn  telling  a  wonderful  tale :  '  We 
were  in  the  fields,  last  night,  keeping  zvatch 
over  our  flocks,  when  Io,  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
came  upon  us  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone 
round  about  us;  and  we  were  sore  afraid.  And 
the  angel  said,  "Fear  not;  for  behold,  I  bring 
yon.  good  tidings  of  great  joy  which  shall  be  to 
all  people.  For  unto  you  is  bom  this  day  in 
the  city  of  David  a  Saviour,  zi'hicli  is  Christ  the 


12  IN   DAVID'S   TOWN 

Lord.  And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  yon:  Ye 
shall  find  the  babe  wrapped  in  szvaddling-clothes, 
lying  in  a  manger/'  And  suddenly  there  was 
zvith  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host 
praising  God  and  saying,  "Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good-will  toward 
men!"  And  it  came  to  pass  that  as  the  angels 
were  gone  azvay  into  heaven,  we  said  one  to 
another,  "Let  us  go  even  unto  Bethlehem  and  see 
this  thing  which  is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord 
haih  shown  unto  us." ' " 

"Did  you  believe  the  story  of  the  shepherds?" 
asked  the  traveller.  "  Was  it  not  a  mere  fig- 
ment of  sleep  and  starlight  and  superstitious 
fancy?" 

"  At  first  I  doubted ;  but  when  I  brought  them 
to  the  cave,  the  Child  was  there  '  wrapped  in 
swaddling-clothes  and  lying  in  a  manger/  The 
shepherds  said,  '  This  is  surely  the  Christ,  the 
long-looked-for  Christ !'  and  they  knelt  and  wor- 
shipped him.  But  how  was  I  to  know?  I 
sought  the  rabbi  of  the  village  and  asked  him. 
He  showed  me  the  record  where  it  was  written 
that  the  Messiah  was  to  be  born  of  a  Virgin  at 
Bethlehem  and  at  about  this  time.  That  was 
all  I  could  find  out." 

"  How  long  did  the  family  remain  at  Beth- 
lehem?" 


NOEL  13 

"  For  many  days.  I  would  have  removed  them 
to  better  quarters,  but  they  preferred  to  con- 
tinue as  they  were.  One  of  the  homes  in  the  vil- 
lage was  presently  opened  to  them :  and  it  was 
while  they  were  abiding  there  that  the  wise  men 
came  to  offer  gifts  of  gold  and  myrrh  and  frank- 
incense. Had  I  needed  further  evidence  as  to 
the  Wonderful  Child,  it  was  furnished  in  their 
story  of  the  guiding  star." 

"  And  is  it  true  that  Herod  murdered  the 
children  of  the  village?  " 

"  Quite  true.  He  had  conceived  an  insane 
jealousy  of  the  Child,  who,  as  he  learned,  was 
of  the  royal  line  of  David.  The  homes  of  Beth- 
lehem were  filled  with  the  voice  of  weeping, 
1  Rachel  weeping  for  her  children  and  refusing 
to  be  comforted.'  I  feared  that  the  Christ-child 
had  perished  in  the  massacre,  but  fortunately 
Joseph  and  Mary  had  been  warned  and  were 
gone.  I  saw  them  no  more.  I  never  saw  the 
Holy  Child  again.  And,  in  view  of  what  I  after- 
wards learned,  I  shall  never  cease  to  regret  that, 
on  that  fateful  night,  when  the  two  weary  pil- 
grims stood  at  my  door,  I  found  no  place  for 
them  in  the  Inn." 

A  hand  on  the  traveller's  shoulder  awoke  him 
from    his    revery.     The    sacristan    stood    beside 


14  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

him,  saying,  "  It  is  the  hour  of  retiring.  Will 
you  share  the  hospitality  of  our  convent  for  the 
night?"  And  consenting,  the  guest  murmured 
to  himself,  "  How  much  kinder  men  are  to  one 
another  than  to  the  Son  of  Man !  " 

In  the  watches  of  that  wakeful  night  he  medi- 
tated thus: 

"How  stands  the  case  with  me?  Is  it  better 
than  with  the  landlord  of  the  Inn?  Had  I  been 
there,  would  the  carpenter  and  the  peasant  girl 
have  met  a  warmer  welcome  ?  He  says  he  knew 
them  not ;  but  Christ  himself  has  long  been 
knocking  at  my  heart;  and  I  know  him.  How 
should  I  not  know  him,  with  the  Bible  at  hand 
and  church  bells  echoing  in  my  ears  ?  His  name 
has  been  familiar  since  I  learned  it  at  my  moth- 
er's knee.  The  pages  of  history  are  full  of  it. 
The  newspapers  thrust  it  upon  me.  Oh,  I  know 
him, — but  how  little  do  I  honor  him ! 

"  It  is  Christmas  eve,  the  waiting  night,  when 
they  say  he  calls,  '  Behold  I  stand  and  knock ! 
If  any  man  will  open  unto  me  I  will  come  in  and 
sup  with  him  and  he  with  me.'  I  wonder,  were 
I  to  open,  what  viands  he  would  spread  before 
me?  Would  he  bring  me  peace  of  conscience 
and  peace  with  God? 

"  But  let  me  be  frank  with  myself :  I  do  not 
want  him.  My  hospitality  is  not  for  guests  in 
homespun.     For  me  this  Jesus  has  no  form  nor 


NOEL  15 

comeliness.  Were  he  clothed  in  purple  and  fine 
linen  he  should  find  my  door  on  the  latch ;  but 
there  is  no  beauty  in  him  that  I  should  desire 
him. 

"  My  heart,  moreover,  is  preoccupied.  Wealth, 
pleasure,  passion  for  knowledge  and  ambition 
for  power  are  comfortably  housed  under  my 
roof.  I  will  not  turn  them  out.  There  are  other 
guests,  too,  whose  names  are  not  to  be  blazoned 
abroad ;  they  know  me  and  I  know  them  and 
many  a  merry  hour  we  have  passed  together. 
I  fear  that  Jesus  and  they  could  not  abide  com- 
fortably under  the  same  roof.  A  man  must 
choose ;  and,  to  be  honest,  I  choose  my  nameless 
guests.  Yet  there  are  times  when  they  weary 
me.  Perhaps  it  would  be  wise  to  hear  this  im- 
portunate caller  who  still  cries  '  Open !  and  I 
will  come  in  and  sup  with  thee ! ' 

"  I  will  not  be  ungracious.  There  is  a  place 
near  by.  What  ?  '  He  will  not  take  it '  ?  Then 
must  he  needs  abide  without.  Yet  it  troubles 
me.     I  cannot  keep  him  there." 

Then  he  remembered,  faintly  at  first  as  some- 
thing coming  from  afar,  these  lines  which  he  had 
learned  in  his  boyhood : 

Xo  room  for  Him  in  whose  small  hand 
The  troubled  sea  and  mighty  land 
Lie  cradled  like  a  grain  of  sand ! 


1 6  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

And  the  words  beat  and  beat  and  beat  in  his 
brain,  like  a  throbbing  pulse :  "  Emmanuel ! 
Emmanuel !  No  room  for  him — no  room  for 
him ! "  And  he  found  himself,  on  a  sudden, 
standing-  by  the  door  and  drawing  the  bolt  and 
saying,  "  Come  in,  thou  blessed  One !  My  heart 
is  an  hungered.  Come  in,  and  sup  with  me ! " 
Then  did  the  heart  of  this  traveller  seem  like  a 
lighted  house  trimmed  with  holly.  And  he  slept 
again  and  dreamed ;  and  the  waits  were  singing : 

"  God  rest  ye,  all  good  people, 
Upon  this  Christmas  morn ; 

The  God  of  all  good  Christians 
Was  of  a  woman  born ! 

"  God  rest  ye,  merry  gentlemen, 

Let  nothing  you  dismay; 
For  Jesus  Christ,  our  Saviour, 
Was  born  this  Christmas  day." 

It  is  the  night  of  Noel;  when,  alas,  many  a 
soul  will  drag  the  yule-log  to  the  hearth  and 
keep  a  Christless  merry-making.  Thus,  long 
ago,  as  a  belated  Bethlehemite  was  going  by  the 
stable  of  the  Inn,  a  streak  of  light  from  a  lantern 
hanging  in  the  doorway  fell  across  his  path. 
He  looked  and  wondered — and  passed  on. 


NOEL  17 

The  path  is  sin,  the  light  is  heaven,  to  enter 
is  to  live. 


Noel !  Noel !  The  voice  at  the  door  is  call- 
ing, "  Open  thy  heart !  Let  Christ  be  born  within 
it!" 


II 


THE   BELLS  ARE 
RINGING 

XT  is  night,  seven  hundred  years  be- 
fore the  Advent.     The  people  are 
walking    in    darkness ;   but,   behold, 
suddenly   a   great   light !      And   the 
bells  begin  to  ring.     Hear  their  five 
reverberating  notes :     "  For  unto  us  a  Child  is 
born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given,  and  his  name  shall 
be  called : 

WONDERFUL! 
COUNSELLOR! 
MIGHTY  GOD! 

EVERLASTING  FATHER! 
PRINCE  OF  PEACE!" 
Down  the  centuries  have  come  those  clear  pro- 
phetic notes,  telling  the  Christmas  story. 

"  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful."  And 
nineteen  hundred  years  of  progress  echo,  "  Won- 
derful ! "  Never  was  truer  prophecy,  never 
clearer  fulfillment;  for  Christ  is  the  Wonder  of 
all  wonders.  Touch  his  life  at  any  point  in  its 
circumference  and  you  touch  a  miracle. 

18 


THE    BELLS   ARE    RINGING  19 

He  was  wonderful  in  his  birth :  "  Great  is  the 
mystery  of  godliness,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh ; 
angels  desire  to  look  into  it !  "  He  was  wonder- 
ful in  his  life,  in  his  death,  in  his  resurrection; 
and  wonderful  is  he  in  his  abiding  influence. 

In  the  famous  conversation  of  Napoleon  with- 
General  Bertrand  he  said,  "  The  spirit  of  Christ 
overawes  me.  His  march  across  the  ages  and 
kingdoms  is  a  mystery  insoluble.  You  speak  of 
the  conquests  of  Caesar  and  Alexander,  and  of 
the  enthusiasms  which  they  kindled  in  the  hearts 
of  their  soldiers ;  but  conceive  of  a  dead  man 
conquering  by  means  of  an  army  devoted  to  his 
memory !  Csesar  and  Alexander  and  myself  have 
founded  empires ;  but  we  rested  the  creations 
of  our  genius  on  force.  Jesus  alone  has  founded 
an  empire  on  love ;  and  at  this  hour  millions 
would  die   for  him !  " 

The  bells  ring  forth  a  second  note,  and  again 
the  heart  of  the  world  throbs  back  to  answer  it : 
"  His  name  shall  be  called  Counsellor !  " 

Here  is  what  men  want — direction  at  the  cross- 
roads of  life.  Two  things  they  must  know — 
Truth  and  the  Way  of  Life.  These  they  find 
in  Christ.  Never  man  spake  like  this  man.  He 
said,  "  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life." 
He  was  the  Way  that  spoke  the  Truth  that  leads 
to  Life.     He  said,  "  No  man  cometh  unto  the 


20  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

Father  but  by  me  " ;  wherefore,  as  the  Counsel- 
lor, he  must  needs  add,  "  Follow  me ! " 

The  bells  strike  a  third  note,  a  stupendous 
note ;  hear  it :  "  His  name  shall  be  called  Mighty 
God!" 

This  rends  the  doubt  and  darkness  of  the  ages. 
It  answers  that  deepest  longing  in  the  soul  of 
man,  "  Oh  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find  him !  " 

God  is  come  down  among  men.  This  is  the 
meaning  of  the  Advent.  He  is  no  longer  veiled 
in  clouds  and  darkness.  The  curtain  of  the  Holy 
of  Holies  is  rent  asunder,  and  whosoever  will 
may  enter  and  behold  him. 

Christ  is  God !  We  bend  above  the  manger 
of  the  Holy  Child  and  read  upon  his  swaddling- 
bands  the  prophetic  title  which  represents  his 
constant  claim,  the  claim  for  which  he  ultimately 
died :  "  Emmanuel ;  which,  being  interpreted,  is 
God  with  us  !  " 

The  fourth  stroke  of  the  bells  completes  the 
unveiling  of  God :  "  His  name  shall  be  called 
Everlasting  Father ! " 

In  the  Incarnation  we  have  the  going  out  of 
God  to  save  men.  He  "  so  loved  the  world  " 
that  in  the  fulness  of  time  he  went  out  into  the 
night,  out  upon  the  dark  mountains,  down  into 
the  very  slums  of  sin  and  shame  and  despair,  to 
seek   and  to  save  his  wayward   children.     The 


THE    BELLS   ARE    RINGING         21 

heart  of  the  Father  is  in  that  little  word  "  so." 
Wherefore  the  Son  could  say,  "  He  that  hath 
seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father.  Believest  thou 
not  that  I  am  in  my  Father  and  my  Father  in 
me?" 

The  bells  swing  once  more  and  sound  forth 
their  final,  sweetest  note,  "His  name  shall  be 
called  the  Prince  of  Peace."  And  here  the  sound 
is  lost  in  the  swelling  song  of  the  angels,  "  Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest ;  peace  on  earth ;  good-will 
toward  men." 

His  name  is  Shiloh,  "  Prince  of  Peace."  His 
benediction  is  Salaam,  "  Peace  be  unto  you." 
His  gospel  is  "  the  gospel  of  reconciliation." 
His  last  bequest  is,  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you." 

The  closing  of  the  Gates  of  Janus  at  the  Ad- 
vent was  a  prophecy  of  the  Millennium,  when 
swords  shall  be  beaten  into  plowshares  and  spears 
into  pruning  hooks. 

For,  lo!  the  days  are  hastening  on, 

By  prophets  bards  foretold, 
When  with  the  ever-circling  years 

Comes  round  the  Age  of  Gold : 
When  peace  shall  over  all  the  earth 

Its  ancient  splendors  fling, 
And  the  whole  world  give  back  the  song 

Which  now  the  angels  sing. 


22  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

But  there  is  more  in  this  peace  than  the  laying 
aside  of  garments  rolled  in  blood.  It  means 
peace  to  the  souls  of  the  children  of  men ;  that 
is,  peace  between  a  man  and  God,  between  a 
man  and  his  conscience,  and  between  a  man  and 
his  fellow-men.     This  is  the  "  Truce  of  God." 

Every  bell  has  its  "  consonant,"  or  keynote. 
The  consonant  of  the  Bells  of  Bethlehem  is  a 
personal  message  of  grace :  "  For  unto  us  a 
Child  is  born  and  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  " ;  that 
is,  to  you  and  me.  The  possessive  pronoun 
brings  the  truth  home  to  us.  It  makes  a  great 
difference  whether  a  child  is  born  in  one's  own 
home  or  next  door.  So  let  the  Bells  of  Bethle- 
hem ring  for  each  of  us. 

When  Dr.  Guthrie  was  minister  of  the  Barony 
Church  in  Glasgow  a  godless  old  woman  living 
near  by  was  troubled  by  the  ringing  of  his  bell. 
At  length  she  presented  herself  at  the  minister's 
study  and  related  this  strange  experience :  "  I  am 
here  not  because  of  your  preaching,  Dr.  Guthrie, 
but  because  of  your  bell.  It  always  seemed  to 
be  saying,  l  Come !  Come  !  Come ! '  and  I  was 
angry  and  resented  it.  But  the  other  night  I 
dreamed.  In  my  dream  I  was  walking  in  a 
garden  when  you  entered  with  a  watering-pot; 
and,  going  about,  you  watered  the  plants  one  by 
one  until,  coming  to  a  poor  scrawny  thing,  you 


THE    BELLS   ARE    RINGING         23 

passed  it  by.  I  remonstrated,  saying,  '  Water 
that  too.'  But  you  looked  at  me  and  answered, 
'  No,  my  good  woman,  it  would  be  useless ;  for 
that  has  no  root/  Then  I  awoke,  and  the  bell 
was  ringing  and  saying,  '  Come  !  Come  !  Come  ! ' 
And  I  wondered  if  it  was  true  that  I  am  a  poor 
fruitless  thing,  and  that  the  beH  was  God's  voice 
to  me.  So  I  have  come.  Tell  me,  what  shall 
I  do?" 

As  a  sound-wave  moves  outward  from  its  cen- 
ter, in  concentric  circles,  further  and  further  un- 
til its  vibrations  touch  the  uttermost  borders  of 
infinite  space,  so  ring  the  Bells  of  Bethlehem ; 
and  the  sphere  of  their  message  grows  wider 
and  wider  with  the  passing  years  until  the  Christ 
shall  come  again  and  speak  peace  to  the  children 
of  men.     Ring  on,  O  bells  of  Bethlehem ! 

Ring  out  the  old,  ring  in  the  new, 
Ring  out  the  false,  ring  in  the  true ! 
Ring  out  old  shapes  of  foul  disease, 
Ring  out  the  narrowing  lust  of  gold, 
Ring  out  the  thousand  wars  of  old, 
Ring  in  the  thousand  years  of  peace ! 
Ring  in  the  valiant  man  and  free, 
The  larger  heart,  the  kindlier  hand ! 
Ring  out  the  darkness  of  the  land ; 
Ring  in  the  Christ  that  is  to  be ! 


Ill 


THE   TIME   IS  AT 
HAND 

N  imperial  decree  had  been  issued 
calling"  for  an  enrollment  of  all 
families  in  their  ancestral  cities ; 
wherefore  Joseph  and  Mary  must 
needs  go  to  Bethlehem. 
The  distance  was  about  eighty  miles.  The 
roads,  at  all  times  difficult,  were  now  almost 
impassable,  and  the  travellers — a  sturdy  peasant 
with  staff  in  hand,  leading  by  the  bridle  a  pan- 
niered  mule  whereon  sat  the  muffled  figure  of  a 
woman — were  probably  three  days  upon  the 
journey.  They  entered  the  gates  of  Bethlehem 
on  the  fourth  day  and  betook  themselves  to  the 
Inn;  but  finding  no  room  they  were  obliged  to 
take  shelter  in  a  stable  near  by. 

And  there,  in  the  night,  the  great  mystery  of 
life  was  enacted.  The  Prince  was  born,  not  in 
a  chamber  hung  with  purple  tapestries,  but  in  a 

24 


THE   TIME    IS    AT    HAND  25 

stall.  There  was  no  ringing  of  bells  or  crying 
of  heralds  to  welcome  him.  The  fierce  winds 
howled  without  and  earth  was  all  unconscious 
of  the  coming  of  the  Mighty  One. 

God  had  struck  the  hour! 

The  taxing  under  Cyrenius  marked  the  fulness 
of  time,  and  now  the  enrolment  under  the  Roman 
authority  gave  token  of  the  final  departure  of 
national  power  from  Israel.  The  throne  trem- 
bled, the  sceptre  fell ;  then  Shiloh  came. 

The  fulness  of  time  was  at  hand,  because  the 
world  had  reached  its  climacteric  of  sin. 

It  is  sometimes  the  case  that  a  disease  cannot 
be  successfully  treated  until  it  has  "  come  to 
a  head."  We  find  a  curious  commentary  on 
the  utter  insufficiency  of  human  culture  as  a 
panacea  for  spiritual  need  in  the  fact  that  the 
world's  sin  reached  its  full  development  in  what 
is  called  the  Golden  Age.  The  court  and  people 
alike  were  steeped  in  luxury  and  licentiousness. 
Virgil  was  writing  his  Eclogues ;  Horace  his 
Odes  ;  Livy  his  Annals.  What  feasts  there  were  ! 
What  glorious  sports  in  the  amphitheatre ! 
Caesar  once  gave  an  exhibition  in  which  six  hun- 
dred gladiators  fought  hand  to  hand ;  and 
Pompey,  not  to  be  outdone,  brought  five  hundred 
lions  into  the  arena.  The  women  counted  their 
divorces    by    rings    upon    their    fingers.      There 


26  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

were  fashionable  dames  of  the  Empire  who 
asked  for  decrees  of  defamation,  that  they  might 
mount  the  stage  and  exhibit  themselves  in  lasciv- 
ious dances  in  honor  of  the  gods.  If  one  would 
gain  a  just  conception  of  the  corruptness  of  those 
times,  let  him  read  the  first  chapter  of  Paul's 
Epistle  to  the  Romans.  There  is  nowhere  else 
in  literature  such  an  indictment  against  the  chil- 
dren of  men. 

In  order  to  acquaint  ourselves  with  the  state 
of  affairs  at  the  time  of  the  Advent  let  us  visit 
some  of  the  characteristic  centers  of  life. 

The  standard  of  the  Golden  Eagle  floats  over 
the  Capitol  of  Rome.  What  does  that  mean? 
All  nations  have  been  subjugated.  It  is  a  time 
of  profound  peace.  They  will  tell  us  that  the 
gates  of  the  Temple  of  Janus  are  closed.  Peace 
reigns ;  but  it  is  the  peace  of  stagnation  and 
despair.  The  known  world,  a  narrow  strip  of 
land  around  the  Mediterranean  with  outlying 
provinces,  has  been  brought  into  abject  submis- 
sion to  the  nondescript  beast  in  Daniel's  vision, 
the  beast  with  iron  teeth,  "  devouring  and  break- 
ing in  pieces.',  The  golden  milestone  in  the 
Forum  is  the  world's  center.  The  Orontes  at 
length  flows  into  the  Tiber ;  and  "  all  roads  lead 
to  Rome." 

Let  us  enter  the  Pantheon.     Here  are  multi- 


THE    TIME    IS    AT    HAND  27 

tudinous  gods ;  gods  of  the  fields  and  forest, 
of  the  mountain  and  plain.  They  have  eyes  but 
they  see  not ;  ears  have  they  but  they  hear  not. 
It  is  all  one  to  them  whether  there  be  light  or 
darkness.  How  can  they  relieve  the  sufferings 
of  humanity,  when  they  themselves  are  but  larger 
men  and  women  projected  on  the  skies?  Where- 
fore their  altars  are  forsaken.  The  people  have 
found  them  out! 

Let  us  visit  the  Schools  of  Philosophy  by  the 
Ilyssus.  Here  Zeno  walks  with  his  disciples  in 
the  Painted  Porch,  teaching  the  irresistibleness 
of  fate :  "  What  is  to  be,  must  be."  Here  Plato, 
in  his  Academy,  teaches  truth  with  a  peradven- 
ture  and  virtue  with  a  mark  of  interrogation. 
Here  Epicurus,  in  his  Garden,  argues  that  ex- 
pediency is  the  test  of  action :  "  We  are  governed 
by  chance ;  pleasure  is  the  highest  good ;  death 
ends  all."  Here  Pyrrho,  the  father  of  agnosti- 
cism, glorifies  doubt,  saying,  "  We  affirm  noth- 
ing; no,  not  even  that  we  affirm  nothing."  Sum 
them  all  up  and  you  have  the  philosophy  of  de- 
spair. It  finds  its  supreme  expression  in  the 
lifted  brows  and  curled  lip  of  Pilate  as  he  con- 
temptuously asks,  "  What  is  truth  ?  " 

Let  us  now  visit  the  Forum,  the  center  of 
social  life.  Here  are  three  classes :  Patricians, 
Plebeians  and  Slaves.     Of  the  Patricians  there 


28  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

are  ten  thousand  in  Rome ;  all  wealth,  culture 
and  power  are  concentrated  in  their  hands.  The 
Plebeians  are  idlers,  housed  in  tenements  at  the 
public  cost ;  they  hate  work  and  love  pleasure ; 
their  cry  is,  "  Bread  and  games ! "  The  great 
majority  of  the  population  are  slaves,  owing  to 
the  custom  of  reducing  subjugated  peoples  to 
bondage.  There  are  sixty  millions  of  them. 
They  live  like  beasts  of  burden,  herded  in  stalls. 
Cato  likens  them  to  "  cattle  among  the  straw." 
All  labor  is  performed  by  them  and  without 
wages ;  for  the  wage-system  awaits  the  word 
of  One  who  shall  say  with  authority,  "  The  la- 
borer is  worthy  of  his  hire." 

To  the  Palace  next,  where  we  shall  observe 
the  luxury  of  the  time.  Augustus  is  on  the 
throne  and  is  worshipped  as  a  god.  He  is  sur- 
rounded by  courtiers  who  live  in  unspeakable  ex- 
travagance. Pliny  says  that  the  betrothal  robe 
of  Lollia  cost  forty  millions  of  sesterces.  These 
aristocrats  have  apparently  no  thought  above  the 
sordid  pleasures  of  life.  Matthew  Arnold  draws 
the  picture  thus : 

On  that  hard  pagan  world  disgust 

And  secret  loathing  fell ; 
Deep  weariness  and  sated  lust 

Made  human  life  a  hell. 


THE   TIME    IS    AT    HAND  29 

In  his  cool  hall,  with  haggard  eyes, 

The  noble  Roman  lay, 
Or  drove  abroad  in  furious  guise 

Along  the  Appian  Way ; 
He  made  a  feast,  drank  fierce  and  fast, 

And  crowned  his  hair  with  flowers — 
Xo  easier  nor  no  quicker  passed 

The  impracticable  hours. 

Thence  to  the  Colosseum.  Here  are  seats  for 
a  hundred  thousand  people.  In  yonder  golden 
pavilion  sit  the  Emperor  and  his  knights.  The 
lower  galleries  are  set  apart  for  Patricians  and 
their  households ;  then  the  vestal  virgins ;  higher 
up  on  the  stone  seats  come  the  Plebeians ;  and, 
last  of  all,  freedmen  and  slaves.  At  the  sound 
of  the  trumpet  a  troop  of  gladiators  file  in  and 
salute  the  Emperor:  Morituri  tc  salutamus! 
They  fight  with  one  another  and  with  wild  beasts. 
The  sand  of  the  arena  is  stained  with  blood. 
The  dead  are  dragged  out.  The  wounded  ap- 
peal for  mercy;  but  there  is  no  heart  of  mercy 
in  the  populace.  To  die,  indeed,  is  better  than 
to  live;  for  life,  except  for  the  favored  few, 
is  not  worth  living  in  these  days. 

But  if  any  survive  the  cruel  ordeal  of  the 
Colosseum,  where  shall  they  be  taken?  To  the 
hospitals?    There  is  not  one  hospital  in  the  Em- 


30  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

pire !  "  The  world  before  Christ,"  says  Uhlhorn, 
"  was  a  world  without  love."  The  fate  of  help- 
less age  and  unbefriended  childhood  is  to  be 
exposed  to  death.  The  one  altar  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  ways  inscribed  u  Misericordia " 
merely  emphasizes  the  prevalent  inhumanity. 
Lepers  are  thrust  out  beyond  the  gates  to  shift 
for  themselves.  Blind  beggars  sit  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  temples.  The  best  that  can  befall 
the  sick  is  to  be  laid  in  the  porches  of  some 
wretched  Bethesda  to  wait  for  the  moving  of 
the  waters. 

It  remains  only  to  visit  the  Necropolis,  the 
City  of  the  Dead.  Here  are  gravestones  in- 
scribed "  Dormit " ;  but  this  is  the  sleep  that 
knows  no  awaking.  Death  ends  all.  Cicero 
goes  to  the  tomb  of  his  daughter  Tullia  and, 
kindling  a  lamp,  mourns  as  he  watches  it  expire, 
"  O  my  daughter,  is  this  like  the  quenching  of 
thy  life?"  Socrates  drinks  his  cup  of  hemlock, 
saying,  "  Whether  to  live  again — I  know  not." 
Read  on  this  tombstone  dedicated  "  To  the  Eter- 
nal Sleep  "  the  words : 

"  I  was  not  and  I  became ; 
I  was  and  am  no  more ; 
So  much  is  true,  all  else  is  false ; 
Traveller,  drink,  play  and  come ! " 


THE    TIME    IS    AT    HAND  31 

The  night  had  fallen ;  an  unbroken  night.  The 
world  was  a  world  without  God  and  without 
hope. 

It  was  predicted  that  when  the  Messiah  should 
come  it  would  be  as  "the  desire  of  all  nations." 
To  that  end  there  must  be  a  convincing  expo- 
sure of  the  weakness  of  all  other  plans  of  de- 
liverance. This  had  come  to  pass.  The  old  re- 
ligions were  practically  dead ;  they  had  no  power 
to  help  or  to  satisfy  the  souls  of  men.  The 
gods  were  impotent.  The  people  had  lost  con- 
fidence in  them. 

The  philosophers  were  helpless.  Gibbon  says, 
"  All  the  prevailing  systems  were  by  the  wise 
regarded  as  equally  false,  by  the  statesmen  as 
equally  necessary,  and  by  the  people  as  equallv 
true." 

The  religion  of  the  Jews  had  come  to  be  a 
system  of  mere  form.  The  temple  itself  was  a 
whited  sepulchre,  fair  without  but  within  full  of 
dead  men's  bones  and  all  nncleanness.  The  re- 
ligious teachers  wore  broad  phylacteries  and 
made  long  prayers  on  the  corners  of  the  streets ; 
but  they  stood  in  the  doorway  of  heaven,  neither 
entering  in  themselves  nor  suffering  others  to 
enter  in. 

The  lights  of  the  golden  candlestick  were  ex- 
tinguished.    There    was    darkness    everywhere, 


32  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

darkness  of  sin,  darkness  of  ignorance,  darkness 
of  despair;  a  darkness  like  that  of  Egypt  which 
could  be  felt,  so  chill,  so  thick  that  artificial 
lights  went  out.  It  was  darkness  like  the  falling 
of  a  funeral  pall.  It  was  a  night  full  of  ghosts 
and  spectres  and  base  superstitions — a  night  of 
fear  and  trembling  and  crying,  "  Would  God  it 
were  day ! " 

But  the  darkest  hour  is  just  before  the  dawn. 
The  Messianic  hope  was  abroad.  Devout  Jews 
like  Simeon  and  Anna  were  waiting  for  the  man- 
ifestation of  the  Hope  of  Israel.  Devout  pagans 
like  the  Magi  were  watching  the  stars.  Devout 
Greeks  wTere  speaking  of  the  coming  of  "  the 
Just  One."  There  were  voices  asking,  "  Watch- 
man, what  of  the  night?  "  and  through  the  dark- 
ness one  great  answering  voice  from  Seir,  "  The 
morning  cometh !  " 

The  fulness  of  time  had  come,  for  the  nations 
had  completed  their  contribution  to  the  great 
event. 

The  placard  on  the  breast  of  Jesus  as 
he  bore  his  cross  to  Calvary  was  written  in 
three  languages — Hebrew,  Latin,  and  Greek. 
At  that  period  these  were  the  tongues  spoken 
by  the  three  great  nations  of  the  earth. 

The  Jews  were  a  chosen  people.  They  had 
been  chosen  to  a  specific  task,  namely,  to  per- 


THE   TIME    IS    AT   HAND  33 

petuate  the  worship  of  the  one  true  God  and 
to  keep  the  oracles  with  their  Messianic  proph- 
ecies and  pass  them  down  along  the  coming 
ages.  It  was  appropriate  that  now  their  sover- 
eignty as  a  distinct  people  should  pass  from 
them,  because  they  had  finished  their  work. 

The  Greeks  had  contributed  their  part,  in  the 
formulation  of  a  language  which  should  serve 
as  an  invaluable  vehicle  for  the  expression  of 
religious  truth.  It  was  no  accident  that  the  New 
Testament  was  written  in  Greek.  The  philo- 
sophic culture  of  that  nation  had  necessitated  the 
forming  of  a  language  which  is,  above  all  others, 
adapted  to  the  use  of  spiritual  truth. 

And  Rome  had  conquered  the  world.  The  de- 
cree calling  for  a  universal  enrolment  was  an 
announcement  of  this  fact.  All  nations  had 
passed  under  the  yoke  of  the  Empire.  The  Cae- 
sars had  built  roads  in  every  direction  for  the 
transporting  of  their  legions  to  the  remotest  colo- 
nies. These  roads  were  to  serve  for  the  prop- 
agation of  the  gospel.  The  king's  heart  is  in- 
deed in  the  hand  of  the  Lord  as  the  rivers  of 
water.  Could  there  be  a  more  convincing  proof 
of  the  divine  wisdom  than  this,  that  he  should 
so  have  subsidized  the  Caesars  in  preparation 
for  the  coming  of  the  Prince  and  for  the  spread- 
ing of  the  gospel  of  peace  that  the  highways 


34  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

which  they  built  for  their  victorious  armies 
should  become  thoroughfares  for  those  whose 
feet  are  beautiful  because  they  bring  glad  tid- 
ings of  salvation? 

Thus  all  things  were  ready.  When  the  clock 
struck  in  heaven  it  was  Caesar  Augustus  that 
gave  the  signal.  Then  John  the  Baptist,  last 
of  the  prophets,  appeared  as  a  pursuivant,  call- 
ing, "  Prepare  ye,  prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 
Lord !  For  there  cometh  One  after  me  whose 
shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose.  Be- 
hold the  Lamb  of  God!" 

Prophecy  is  closed,  history  begins.  Joy  to  the 
world,  the  Lord  is  come ! 


IV 

THE  SHEPHERDS  SIT 

"CHATTING    IN  A 

RUSTIC  ROW" 

VJ^^^HE  long-looked-for  work  of  Redemp- 

J^C\  tion  is  about  to  begin ;  and  a  herald 

■  J  must  be  chosen  to  bear  the  message 

^^^^  to   the   children   of   men.     Fortunate 
angel!     And     fortunate    those    who 
bear  him  company  as  he  sets  forth,  followed  by 
the  benisons  of  heaven,  to  assure  the  beleaguered 
race  that  the  God  of  salvation  is  now  to  make 

bare  his  arm! 

But  who  shall  be  chosen  to  receive  the  wel- 
come news?  The  messengers  as  they  speed  on 
their  beneficent  mission  pass  over  the  cities  of 
Egypt  and  tarry  not ;  for  on  its  tombs,  its  tem- 
ples and  its  palaces  is  written,  "  The  glory  hath 
departed!"  The  Pharaohs  sleep  in  their 
mummy  crypts  and  the  Sphinx  looks  on  with 
dreamy  eves ;  while  the  people  bow  at  the  altars 
of  gods  whose  liturgy  is  written  in  the  Book 

35 


36  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

of  the  Dead.  The  message  is  not  for  worn- 
out  dynasties  or  atrophied  souls,  but  for  such 
as  have  their  eyes  attent  and  their  hearts  at- 
tuned to  the  promise  of  brighter  days. 

Will  the  heralds  pause,  then,  at  Athens, 
"  mother  of  arts  and  eloquence  "  ?  Here  is,  in- 
deed, the  intellectual  center  of  the  world.  Zeuxis 
and  Apelles,  Phidias  and  Praxiteles  adorn 
its  temples  and  palaces  with  masterpieces  des- 
stined  to  be  the  wonder  of  the  ages.  In  the 
schools  by  the  Ilyssus — the  Grove,  the  Academy 
and  the  Painted  Porch — philosophers  in  scho- 
lastic robes  walk  up  and  down  discoursing  to 
their  pupils  on  the  Reason  of  Things.  But 
heaven  has  no  message  for  pride  of  intellect ; 
wherefore  the  angels  still  pursue  their  flight. 

Now  they  are  approaching  Rome,  the  political 
center  of  the  world.  Caesar,  from  his  palace  on 
the  Capitoline,  looks  proudly  down  upon  the 
Forum  where  trains  of  captives  are  passing 
under  his  yoke.  He  has  realized  the  dream  of 
universal  empire,  and  the  wealth  of  a  thousand 
tributary  nations  is  pouring  into  his  exchequer. 
It  is  the  Golden  Age  of  luxury  and  vice.  But 
there  is  leprosy  in  the  mortar  of  this  imperial 
structure.  Heaven  has  no  word  of  promise  for 
pride  of  power. 

The  couriers  at  length  have  reached  Jerusa- 


THE    SHEPHERDS    SIT    CHATTING      37 

lem.  Here  surely  they  will  arrest  their  flight ; 
for  is  not  this  the  religious  center  of  the  world? 
Lights  are  burning  in  the  temple  and  clouds  of 
incense  rise  while  worshippers  chant,  "  Hear,  O 
Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord !  "  Priests 
with  broad  phylacteries  are  making  long  prayers 
at  the  corners  of  the  streets ;  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees display  frontlets  between  their  eves,  on 
which  is  written,  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord."  But 
all  is  pomp  and  circumstance.  These  are  mask- 
wearers,  who  draw  nigh  unto  God  with  their 
lips  while  their  hearts  are  far  from  him.  Heaven 
has  no  message  of  hope  for  self-righteousness. 

The  herald  angels,  still  pursuing  their  course, 
have  reached  the  hill  country  of  Judea ;  and  here 
they  pause  to  deliver  their  message  to  a  strange 
company,  of  whom  Milton  in  his  "  Ode  to  the 
Nativity  "  sings  on  this  wise : 

The  shepherds  on  the  lawn, 

Or  e'er  the  point  of  dawn, 

Sit  simply  chatting  in  a  rustic  row. 

It  is  a  still  night.  The  air  is  heavy  with  the 
perfume  of  palm-groves  and  olive-yards.  The 
stars  hang  low  in  the  clear  sky.  Now  and  then 
the  twittering  of  a  bird  as  it  flutters  from  its 
nest  betokens  the  approach  of  day.  The  sheep 
are  still  reclining,  save  one  here  and  there  that 


38  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

with  drowsy  zest  nibbles  the  succulent  grass 
freshened  with  the  night  dew.  The  silence  of 
the  closing  night  is  over  all. 

The  shepherds,  early  awake,  are  conversing 
in  low  voices.  A  torch  thrust  into  the  ground, 
in  the  center  of  the  company,  casts  its  flickering 
light  upon  a  parchment  spread  before  them. 
The  theme  of  their  conversation  is  the  coming 
of  Messiah,  "  the  Hope  of  Israel."  For  there 
is  a  current  rumor  of  his  near  approach  and  a 
prevalent  feeling  of  expectancy. 

But  how  and  when  and  where  will  he  come? 
To  the  Law  and  Testimony !  How  reads  the 
parchment?  It  begins  with  the  protevangel, 
"  The  seed  of  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's 
head."  Has  Moses  aught  to  say?  Ay.  "A 
prophet  shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up  like 
unto  me ;  him  shall  ye  hear ! "  And  Isaiah 
speaks  yet  more  explicitly :  "  A  virgin  shall  con- 
ceive and  bear  a  son  and  shall  call  his  name 
Emmanuel " ;  which  is,  being  interpreted,  God 
with  us ;  and  again :  "  For  unto  us  a  child  is 
born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given ;  and  the  government 
shall  be  upon  his  shoulder ;  and  his  name  shall 
be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  Mighty  God, 
Everlasting  Father,  Prince  of  Peace." 

Is  there  aught  in  the  parchment  as  to  his  per- 
sonal station  ?    Yes.     "  He  shall  rule  as  a  King 


THE    SHEPHERDS    SIT    CHATTING      39 

in  righteousness;  his  kingdom  shall  be  an  ever- 
lasting kingdom,  and  of  his  dominion  there  shall 
be  no  end."  But  how  shall  that  be  reconciled 
with  this :  "  He  is  a  man  of  sorrows  and  ac- 
quainted with  griefs  "  ? 

And  what  of  his  mission?  "He  shall  break 
every  chain  and  bid  the  oppressed  go  free." 
Will  the  deliverance  be  for  the  Jews  only  ?  '  He 
shall  call  a  nation  that  he  knew  not.  Gentiles 
shall  come  to  his  light  and  kings  to  the  bright- 
ness of  his  rising." 

And  when  shall  this  be?  It  is  recorded  in  the 
prophecy  of  Daniel  that  the  Messiah  shall  come 
at  the  end  of  "  seventy  weeks  of  years."  Is 
there  a  sign  given?  Yes ;  the  sign  of  the  falling 
scepter ;  as  it  is  written  in  the  blessing  of  Jacob, 
"  The  scepter  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor 
the  ruler's  staff  from  between  his  feet,  until 
Shiloh  come,  and  unto  him  shall  the  gathering 
of  the  nations  be."  Is  the  sign  fulfilled?  The 
scepter  is  trembling  in  Judah's  hand !  The  cen- 
sus of  Cyrenius  has  just  been  ordered,  by  which 
all  Israel  passes  under  the  Roman  yoke.  A  car- 
penter and  his  wife  from  the  hill  country  of 
Galilee,  who  passed  the  shepherds  last  night  on 
the  highway,  were  on  their  way  to  enroll  them- 
selves in  Bethlehem.  Alas  for  the  vanished 
glory  of  Israel ! 


4o  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

But  where  shall  this  Messiah  be  born  ?  In  the 
very  city  to  which  those  wayfarers  were  bound ; 
as  it  is  written  in  the  prophecy  of  Micah,  "  But 
thou,  Bethlehem,  though  thou  be  little  among  the 
thousands  of  Judah,  out  of  thee  shall  One  come 
forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be  ruler  in  Israel." 

Thus  the  rustics  commune  with  one  another 
until,  at  length,  they  lapse  into  silence  and  the 
torch  flickers  and  goes  out. 

On  a  sudden  they  awake  and  gaze  wonder- 
inglv ;  for  a  strange  light  is  shining  among  them. 
Had  they  known  it,  this  is  the  Shekinah,  the 
lost  Glory,  in  which  God  had  formerly  been  ac- 
customed to  reveal  himself  to  men.  It  led  the 
children  of  Israel  through  the  wilderness  as  a 
luminous  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by 
night.  It  hovered  over  the  mercy-seat  of  the 
Ark  of  the  Covenant  from  which  God  delivered 
his  messages.  It  filled  the  temple  of  Solomon, 
at  its  dedication,  with  a  golden  haze.  It  had 
vanished  with  the  waning  loyalty  of  Israel,  four 
hundred  years  before.  And  now  it  reappears  in 
the  midst  of  this  group  of  shepherds,  growing 
brighter  and  brighter,  while  the  voices  of  the 
herald  angels  fill  the  air  with  a  harmonious 
strain,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on 
earth  peace,  good-will  toward  men ! "  The 
shepherds   are   amazed,   bewildered   and   afraid. 


THE    SHEPHERDS    SIT    CHATTING      41 

Can  they  be  dreaming?  In  the  midst  of  the 
Glory  the  elect  angel  leads  the  Advent  song: 
"  Be'  not  afraid,  for,  behold,  I  bring  you  good 
tidings  of  great  joy!  For  there  is  born  to  you 
this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Saviour  who  is 
Christ  the  Lord."  The  chorus  continues,  in 
rising  and  falling  cadences ;  three  trumpet  notes 
like  the  Trisagion  of  heaven,  "  Glory,  peace, 
good-will !  "  It  is  the  sweetest  song  ever  heard 
on  earth.  And  then  the  Glory  fades,  the  vision 
is  ended,  the  light  of  the  morning  glows  upon 
the  eastern  hills. 

But  why  was  this  message  delivered  to  a  com- 
pany of  shepherds  rather  than  to  the  dreamers 
by  the  Nile,  the  philosophers  of  Athens,  the 
world-conquerors  or  the  pietists  ? 

Because  they  were  simple  folk.  This  is  in 
pursuance  of  a  recognized  law  or  principle  of 
social  science  that  the  redemption  of  society 
is  by  a  process  not  of  leveling  down  but  of  level- 
ing up.  Who  dreams  of  regenerating  the  world 
by  bettering  the  condition  of  the  aristocracy? 
As  well  might  a  housewife  kindle  the  fire  above 
the  kettle  of  water  she  wishes  to  heat.  Save 
the  people,  and  kings  will  come  trooping  after 
them!  It  was  for  this  reason  that  Christ  ad- 
dressed his  teaching  to  the  masses,  whereof  it 
is    written,    "The    common    people    heard    him 


42  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

gladly."  And  of  the  composition  of  the  apos- 
tolic church  it  is  recorded,  "  Not  many  wise  men 
after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble, 
are  called ;  but  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things 
of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise ;  and  the  weak 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  mighty ; 
and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which 
are  despised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  things 
which  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that 
are ;  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  pres- 
ence." 

The  message  came  to  the  shepherds  because 
they  were  busy  folk.  This  also  is  in  recognition 
of  the  fact  that  the  true  reformer  is  "  the  man 
with  the  hoe."  Men  of  voluntary  leisure, 
whether  at  the  top  or  the  bottom  of  the  social 
ladder,  get  few  messages  from  God.  He  gives 
his  bread  to  bread-winners.  He  comes  to  the 
watcher  who  watches,  not  leaning  out  of  his  win- 
dows, but  in  the  harvest  with  sleeves  rolled  up. 
He  sends  his  evangel  to  Gideon  threshing  his 
wheat  behind  the  wine-press,  to  Amos  herding 
his  cattle  in  Tekoa,  to  fishermen  mending  their 
nets  on  the  lake  shore,  to  Matthew  at  the  receipt 
of  customs. 

The  Syrians  tell  of  a  certain  weaver  of  Da- 
mascus, who,  longing  for  a  heavenly  vision,  left 
his  loom   and  betook  himself  to   prayer  in   the 


THE    SHEPHERDS    SIT    CHATTING      43 

desert,  where  he  dwelt  in  a  hermit's  cell.  But 
no  vision  came.  He  returned  to  his  housetop, 
where,  kneeling,  he  watched  the  heavens  by 
night  and  day;  and  still  no  vision  came.  Then 
back  to  his  loom  he  went  in  despair ;  and,  as  he 
flung;  the  shuttle  to  and  fro,  his  Lord  appeared 

to  him! 

Then,  too,  the  message  was  delivered  to  the 
shepherds  because  they  were  thoughtful  folk. 
This  also  is  in  pursuance  of  a  law,  namely,  that 
truth  comes  in  at  open  doors.  It  turns  aside 
from  the  preoccupied  and  prejudiced,  to  find  a 
welcome  in  responsive  minds.  '  While  I  was 
musing,"  the  Psalmist  writes,  "  the  fire  burned." 
But  musing  is  not  dreaming ;  it  is  thinking  out- 
ward and  beckoning  to  truth. 

"  I  was  in  the  spirit,"  says  the  evangelist, 
"and  I  saw."  Men  in  the  spirit  are  always 
seers.  They  do  not  shut  themselves  apart  in 
the  coldness  and  bitterness  and  selfishness  of 
life,  but  stand  rather  on  tiptoe,  listening  for 
truth  as  for  the  footfall  of  God. 

And  thus  it  happens  that  "not  many  wise 
men  after  the  flesh  are  called."  While  they  are 
thinking  their  own  thoughts  and  framing  their 
commonplace  prejudgments  as  to  spiritual  things 
there  is  many  an  aged  saint,  sitting  in  the  chim- 
ney corner  with  the  sacred  scroll  upon  his  knees, 


44  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

who   sees   visions   and   communes    face  to    face 
with  God. 

The  shepherds,  awaking  from  their  bewilder- 
ment, look  into  each  other's  faces,  saving,  "  The 
Consolation  of  Israel  has  come!  Let  us  now 
go  even  unto  Bethlehem,  and  see  this  great  thing 
which  is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord  hath 
made  known  unto  us." 

And  here  they  are  beside  the  manger.  The 
two  travellers  whom  perhaps  they  had  seen  the 
previous  night  on  their  way  to  Bethlehem  are 
here,  and  with  them  the  Christ-child.  "  Great 
is  the  mystery  of  godliness!  God  is  manifest 
in  flesh;  the  angels  desire  to  look  into  it." 

The  answer  to  the  shepherds'  hopes  and  long- 
ings had  come  at  last,  because  they  were  not 
disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision. 

It  was  in  vain  that  Moses  prayed,  "  O  Lord, 
show  me  thy  glory !  "  He  caught  a  glimpse  of 
that  glory  at  the  burning  bush  and  heard  a  voice 
saying,  "  I  am  that  i  am,"  but  that  was  all. 
And,  later,  hiding  himself  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock, 
he  heard  the  rustle  of  a  garment  and  saw  a  pass- 
ing light;  but  that  was  all.  It  was  impossible 
that  any  man  should  see  God  in  his  glory  and 
live ;  unless  God  should  be  pleased,  in  some  ex- 
traordinary way,  to  bring  himself  within  the  ap- 
prehension of  finite  men.    This  is  the  thing  that 


bo 

53 


THE    SHEPHERDS    SIT    CHATTING      45 

has  now  come  to  pass.  God  has  bowed  the 
heavens  to  come  down.  The  shepherds  realize 
the  fulfillment  of  the  prayer  of  Moses ;  in  the 
Christ-child  they  behold  the  Incarnation  of  the 
Glory  of  God. 

"  And  they  returned,  glorifying  and  praising 
God  for  all  the  things  they  had  heard  and  seen. 
And  they  made  known  the  saying-  which  was 
spoken  unto  them."  As  they  journeyed,  they 
told  it  to  travellers  on  their  way  to  the  Holy 
City ;  and  when  they  had  reached  home,  other 
shepherds  came  from  the  neighboring  fields  and 
asked  them  concerning  it.  The  light,  the  angels, 
the  Child  in  the  manger — could  they  describe 
them?  Did  they  try  to  reproduce  the  wonderful 
song?  Vain  effort!  These  were  incommunica- 
ble things.  The  joy  of  the  Evangel  is  only  for 
those  who  hear  it. 

But  the  shepherds  never  forgot.  Their  life 
thereafter  was  surely  changed.  The  stars  shone 
brighter,  the  very  grass  was  greener,  and  the 
watching  of  their  flocks  was  a  finer  task  since 
they  had  seen  the  Christ-child.  And  the  Advent 
song  rang  ever  in  their  hearts,  until,  one  by  one, 
they  laid  down  their  shepherds'  crooks  and  went 
to  meet  Christ  and  praise  him  in  the  new  song, 
"  Worthy  art  thou  to  receive  honor  and  power 
and  dominion  forever  and  ever !  " 


V 

THE  STAR  APPEARS 

©HE  king  of  Judea  was  troubled.  It 
was  rumored  that  about  this  time  a 
prince  was  to  be  born,  in  fulfillment 
of  prophecy,  who  would  ascend  the 
Jewish  throne.  Tacitus  speaks  of  a 
current  opinion  that  the  Messiah  was  near  at 
hand.     "  The  Hope  of  Israel  "  was  in  the  air. 

Herod  was  now  an  old  man,  but  tenacious  of 
his  ill-gotten  power.  He  was  an  apostate  Jew, 
who  had  long  since  forsaken  the  religion  of  his 
fathers  to  enter  the  service  of  Rome.  His 
career  had  been  a  brilliant  one.  As  a  protege 
of  Antony  he  had  at  a  very  early  age  been  made 
governor  of  Galilee  and  afterward  tetrarch  of 
Judea.  He  is  described  as  of  vast  ambition ; 
shrewd,  cunning,  and  of  violent  passions ;  pos- 
sessed withal  of  considerable  executive  ability. 
To  please  his  royal  master,  he  built  the  splendid 
city  of  Csesarea.  To  conciliate  the  Jews,  whom 
he  hated,  he  rebuilt  their  temple  at  Jerusalem  and 
splendidly  adorned  it. 

46 


THE    STAR   APPEARS  47 

In  the  porch  of  this  temple  the  old  king  was 
walking  on  a  February  morning.  His  purple 
robes  sparkled  with  gems  and  precious  stones; 
a  glorious  ruby  blazed  in  his  turban;  but  his 
restless  eyes  betrayed  a  troubled  heart. 

Off  yonder,  beyond  the  Kedron,  a  group  of 
venerable  strangers  were  drawing  near,  their 
long  garments  covered  with  dust.  They  would 
have  attracted  attention  anywhere.  Entering  from 
the  east  at  the  Shushan  gate,  they  climbed  the 
marble  stairway  of  the  temple,  entered  Solomon's 
Porch,  and  would  have  passed  on  into  the  inner 
courts  but  for  the  admonition  of  a  Levite,  who 
pointed  to  an  inscription  on  the  middle  wall  of 
partition,  LET  NO  GENTILE  OR  UNCLEAN 
PERSON  ENTER  HERE  UNDER  PEN- 
ALTY OF  DEATH.  Arrested  by  this  warning, 
they  said,  "  We  have  come  from  the  far  East, 
seeking  him  who  is  born  King  of  the  Jews.  Tell 
us  where  we  may  find  him."  A  little  later  they 
were  engaged  in  conversation  with  Herod. 

"Whence  come  ye?" 

"  From  the  East." 

"  And  your  errand  ?  " 

"  To  find  the  promised  King  of  the  Jews." 

"It  is  a   fool's  errand ;   I  alone  am  King  of 
the  Jews." 


48  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

"  Nay,  we  cannot  be  mistaken ;  for  we  have 
come  under  divine  guidance." 

Thereupon  they  told  their  story — how  as  they 
were  watching  the  stars,  according  to  their  cus- 
tom, and  meditating  on  the  promise  of  the  com- 
ing Deliverer,  a  new  luminary  wheeled  into  view 
and  seemed  to  beckon  them.  Was  this  a  harbinger 
of  the  event  for  which  they  looked  ?  While  they 
wondered  it  moved  on  toward  the  west,  and 
they  arose  and  followed  it.  Their  hope  had 
been  that  the  Jewish  prince  would  be  found  in 
the  Holy  City,  and  they  were  amazed  to  find 
that  nothing  was  here  known  of  him. 

The  wise  men  were  detained  while,  at  Herod's 
order,  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin  came  to- 
gether to  consult  as  to  the  rumored  birth  of  this 
prince.  They  were  agreed  concerning  the  proph- 
ecy ;  the  event  was  to  occur  in  Bethlehem ; 
"  And  thou,  Bethlehem,  land  of  Judah,  art  in 
no  wise  least  among  the  princes  of  Judah,  for 
out  of  thee  shall  come  forth  a  Governor  who 
shall  be  Shepherd  of  my  people  Israel." 

The  Magi  were  then  permitted  to  resume  their 
journey,  with  a  parting  injunction  to  return  and 
report  as  to  the  success  of  their  singular  quest. 
As  they  left  Jerusalem,  lo,  yonder  in  the  heavens 
the  star  moved  along  before  them,  and  they  fol- 
lowed with  great  joy. 


THE    STAR   APPEARS  49 

From  time   immemorial    these   pilgrims    have 
been  regarded  as  kings : 


"  We  three  kings  of  Orient  are, 
Bearing  gifts,  we  traverse  afar 
Field  and  fountain,  moor  and  mountain, 
Following  yonder  star." 

In  the  Cathedral  at  Cologne  there  is  a  golden 
reliquary  in  which  their  relics  are  preserved 
in  the  odor  of  sanctity.  I  said  to  the  aged 
monk  in  attendance,  "  Do  you  really  believe  that 
these  are  the  bones  of  the  Magi?"  He  replied, 
"  Oh,  yes.  There  is  no  question  whatever  as  to 
their  genuineness.  We  know  their  names :  Gas- 
par,  Melchior  and  Balthazar.  The  venerable 
Bede  tells  us  all  about  them."  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  considerable  doubt— to  put  it  mildly — 
as  to  the  trustworthiness  of  the  legend.  We 
have  no  reason  to  believe  that  they  were  kings ; 
we  do  know  that  they  were  truth-seekers ;  and, 
as  Cromwell  said  to  his  daughter,  "To  be  a 
truth-seeker  is  to  be  one  of  the  noblest  sect  next 
to  a  truth-finder." 

These  men  were  searching,  by  the  light  given 
to  them,  for  still  greater  light.  In  all  the  world 
there  is  no  pursuit  so  ennobling,  so  inspiring  and 
so    gladdening   as    the    pursuit   of    truth.     This 


50  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

holds  in  every  province,  but  especially  in  that 
of  spiritual  things. 

A  man  is  in  his  noblest  attitude  when  confront- 
ing the  eternal  verities.  In  this  we  are  distin- 
guished from  the  lower  orders  of  life.  As  Kep- 
ler said,  "  We  can  think  God's  thoughts  after 
him."  We  are  able  to  touch  tremendous  prob- 
lems and  measurably  to  solve  them ;  and  herein 
is  the  sweetest  of  life's  joys.  Lord  Bacon  said, 
"  It  is  a  pleasure  to  stand  upon  the  shore  and 
see  ships  tossing  far  away  upon  the  sea ;  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  stand  in  the  castle  window  and  look 
down  upon  the  battle  and  the  adventures  thereof ; 
but  no  pleasure  is  comparable  to  the  standing 
upon  the  vantage-ground  of  truth  and  beholding 
spiritual  things." 

The  wise  men  have  reached  their  destination. 
All  the  divinely  kindled  stars  lead  to  Bethlehem. 
Here  is  the  end  of  the  quest.  The  star  that 
guided  the  Magi  rested  over  a  humble  cottage. 
On  entering  they  found  the  Christ-child — a 
child  upon  its  mother's  breast.  Was  that  all? 
Ay,  all — and  everything !  In  this  Child  all  the 
streams  of  prophecy  converge.  From  this  Child 
radiate  all  the  glowing  lines  of  history. 

On  the  walls  of  the  palace  at  Versailles,  in  a 
series  of  magnificent  battle  scenes,  are  portrayed 
the  Glories  of  France.     In  this  humble  home  at 


THE    STAR   APPEARS  51 

Bethlehem  the  hopes  of  Abraham,  the  dreams  of 
David  and  the  visions  of  Isaiah  are  realized. 
This  cottage  is  the  center  of  the  world. 

The  star  that  shone  above  it  on  that  Advent 
night  is  the  star  that  marks  the  course  of  empire, 
Illumining  the  path  of  progress  through  the 
centuries,  it  has  changed  the  aspect  of  the 
world. 

Its  light  has  fallen  on  our  domestic  life.  The 
word  familia  used  to  mean  a  retinue  of  slaves 
and  retainers ;  now  it  suggests  a  circle  of  tender 
ties ;  it  speaks  of  parental  love  and  filial  devotion. 
If  father  and  mother  and  brother  and  sister  are 
names  more  sacred  than  of  old  it  is  because  the 
name  of  Christ  has  sanctified  them. 

It  has  thrown  its  light  into  the  work-shop. 
The  "  third  estate  "  is  the  product  of  Christian 
civilization.  The  term  "  sweat-shop "  suggests 
one  of  the  modern  evils  of  our  municipal  life. 
But  there  was  a  time  when  the  whole  industrial 
system  of  the  civilized  world  was  one  great 
sweat-shop.  There  were  no  strikes,  no  labor 
guilds,  no  contests  of  labor  with  capital,  because 
the  handicraftsman  was  a  hopeless  serf.  The 
Carpenter  who  toiled  in  the  shop  at  Nazareth 
has  dignified  labor  the  whole  world  over.  If  it 
be  true  that  "  the  heart  of  the  toiler  has  throb- 
bings  that  move  not  the  bosom  of  kings,"  it  is 


52  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

due  to  Jesus,  who  was  a  fellow-craftsman  with 
all  who  eat  their  bread  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brows. 

It  has  thrown  its  radiant  influence  into  the 
larger  forms  of  our  commercial  life.  What 
could  a  man  do  with  his  savings  nineteen  hun- 
dred years  ago  but  wrap  them  in  a  napkin  and 
bury  them  in  the  earth?  There  was  no  confi- 
dence between  man  and  man.  There  were  no 
savings  banks,  because,  as  King  Henry  said, 
"  oaths  were  straws,  men's  faith  as  wafer  cakes." 
The  banking  system  of  to-day  is  a  tribute  to  the 
power  of  the  gospel ;  it  is  the  logical  sequence 
of  the  angels'  song,  "  Good-will  to  men."  The 
man  who  has  saved  a  golden  eagle  may  with 
reasonable  confidence  now  commit  it  to  the  care 
of  a  trust  company ;  or,  if  he  prefer,  can  send  it 
around  the  world  to  Hong  Kong  by  a  chain  of 
connections  every  link  of  which  speaks  of  mutual 
confidence  and  bears  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Christ. 

Its  light  has  gleamed  upon  all  the  institutions 
of  our  political  life.  The  man  who  most  aptly 
represented  the  governmental  system  of  the  olden 
time  was  the  publican  sitting  at  the  Receipt  of 
Customs.  He  stood  for  extortion,  for  blackmail, 
for  blood-money.  Here  and  there  the  plague- 
spot  still  lingers ;  but  we  recognize  it  as  a  belated 


THE    STAR   APPEARS  53 

barbarism  and  are  moved  to  eradicate  it.  The 
words  Liberty,  Equality,  Fraternity,  which  pass 
current  as  the  shibboleths  of  popular  government 
in  our  time,  had  little  or  no  place  in  public  affairs 
at  the  beginning'  of  the  Christian  Era.  The 
truth  enunciated  by  St.  Paul  on  Mars  Hill,  "  God 
hath  created  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men," 
has  come  to  be  a  controlling  influence  among  all 
nations  lying  within  the  charmed  circle  of  what 
is  significantly  called  "  Christendom." 

To  what  shall  we  attribute  this  onward  move- 
ment of  the  years  ?  To  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ 
came  to  dwell  among  men. 

How  far  yon  Star  of  Bethlehem  casts  its 
beams !  Our  Lord  proclaimed  his  purpose  in 
the  synagogue  when  he  opened  the  Book  and 
read,  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  be- 
cause he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings 
to  the  poor ;  he  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release 
to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the 
blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised." 

It  was  the  Star  of  Empire.  It  foretokened  a 
perpetual  improvement  in  the  affairs  of  nations 
and  men.  It  prophesies  for  us  that  what  our 
Lord  has  done  for  Christendom  he  will  do  for 
the  world.  The  Star  that  "  shook  the  corners 
of  Moab  "  shall  shake  the  remotest  corners  of 
the  earth  until,  to  use  the  Psalmist's  figure,  as 


54  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

the  house-wife  shakes  the  crumbs  from  a  nap- 
kin, all  evil  shall  be  shaken  out  of  it. 

Our  Lord  was  born  between  the  hemispheres. 
Tradition  says  that  he  was  crucified  with  his  face 
toward  the  west.  "  Westward  the  course  of  em- 
pire takes  its  way."  He  is  the  cosmopolitan 
Christ.  His  kingdom  is  from  the  river  unto  the 
ends  of  the  earth. 

A  coin  was  found  at  Clunia,  in  Spain,  bearing 
the  image  of  Diocletian  and  the  date  Anno 
Domini  300.  On  the  obverse  was  the  hand  of 
Hercules  strangling  a  hydra,  and  over  it  the  in- 
scription, Deleta  Christianitas.  Thus  to  the  mind 
of  that  haughty  emperor  the  power  of  paganism 
was  destined  to  strangle  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Nay,  rather  strangle  the  sun !  Strangle  the  at- 
mosphere !  Strangle  the  springs  that  gush  out 
of  the  hills  to  feed  the  unfathomable  sea !  Chris- 
tianity is  an  all-pervasive  and  universal  power. 
The  royal  ensigns  onward  go ! 

All  other  stars  shall  fade.  The  sun  shall  be 
changed  into  darkness  and  the  moon  into  blood, 
and  the  stars  of  heaven  shall  fall  as  when  a  fig- 
tree  is  shaken  of  its  untimely  figs.  But  the  Star 
of  Bethlehem  shall  shine  on  forever.  The  zeal 
of  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  perform  it. 

Somewhere,  for  every  man,  its  light  is  shin- 
ing.    It  may  be  in  the  memory  of  a  face  crowned 


THE    STAR   APPEARS  55 

with  silver  and  of  hands  now  folded  under  the 
sod.  The  light  of  reason,  of  memory,  of  reve- 
lation, all  point  to  Bethlehem.  O  foolish  Magi, 
had  they  stayed  in  the  fields  doubting,  wonder- 
ing, hesitating  and  making  excuses !  It  was  a 
far  journey  from  Chaldea  to  Bethlehem,  requir- 
ing ten  times  as  long  as  to  cross  the  Atlantic  in 
these  days ;  but  these  were  "  wise  men  " ;  where- 
fore they  said,  "  Arise,  let  us  follow  the  star 
until  we  find  him  !  " 


VI 

WHA  T  THE  WISE  ME  IS 
SA  W 


T  is  written,  "  When  the  wise  men 
were  come  into  the  house  they 
saw " 


T 

^^M  ^        Well,  what  did  they  see? 

They  had  come  a  long  way  to 
see  something — more  than  a  thousand  miles  up 
hill  and  over  dale,  and  prohably  afoot  most  of 
the  way.  And  here  they  were,  weary  and  dusty, 
at  their  journey's  end.  Was  it  worth  while?  If 
so,  it  must  have  been  some  wonderful  sight  that 
greeted  their  eyes. 

They  are  standing  at  the  door  of  the  cottage 
in  Bethlehem ;  but  before  they  lift  the  latch  to 
enter,  we,  who  look  back  from  the  story's  end, 
know  that  these  men  were  destined  to  see  what 
they  wanted  to  see. 

This  holds  as  a  rule ;  people  see  what  they 
want  to  see. 

Three  men  go  down  to  Sandy  Hook.  One  is 
a  poet,  who  wants  to  see  the  ocean  in  its  maj- 

56 


WHAT   THE   WISE   MEN    SAW      57 

esty  stretching  afar;  and  he  sees  it.  The  next 
is  a  sightseer,  who  wants  to  see  the  lighthouse 
and  the  great  guns  and  the  barracks ;  and  he  sees 
them.  The  last  is  a  lonely  man  who  is  looking 
for  friends  from  beyond  the  water,  and,  shading 
his  eyes,  he,  too,  sees  what  he  came  to  see.  The 
ships  are  coming  in ! 

Three  men  are  searching  the  Scriptures.  One 
is  a  lover  of  literature.  He  has  heard  that  Mil- 
ton wrote,  "  There  are  no  songs  like  the  songs 
of  Zion,"  and  that  Webster  said,  "  There  is  ntf 
eloquence  like  that  of  the  Holy  Writ."  He  is 
looking  for  poetry  and  eloquence ;  and  he  finds 
them.  Another  is  a  critic  who  has  heard  of 
"  flaws "  and  "  discrepancies."  He  takes  his 
acid  bottle  with  him  in  search  of  them,  and  sees, 
or  imagines  he  sees,  what  he  wants  to  see.  But 
the  last  is  in  quest  of  life.  He  has  heard  the 
Master  say,  "  Search  the  Scriptures,  because  ye 
think  that  in  them  ye  have  eternal  life ;  and  these 
are  they  which  bear  witness  of  me."  He,  too, 
discovers  what  he  came  to  see. 

No  doubt  there  were  other  travellers,  besides 
these  Magi,  on  the  highways  leading  to  Bethle- 
hem. Some  of  them  were  going  to  see  the 
town ;  others  to  see  merchants  who  were  likely 
to  purchase  their  wares  ;  but  the  wise  men  wanted 
to  see  the   M essiah ;   and   along  the   way  their 


58  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

frequent  inquiry  was,  "  Where  is  he  that  is  born 
King  of  the  Jews  ?  " 

Moreover,  they  were  destined  to  see  what  they 
were  willing  to  see. 

To  be  willing  is  more  than  to  want. 

It  is  one  thing  to  want  gold,  but  quite  another 
thing  to  be  willing  to  undertake  the  hardships 
involved  in  getting  it — a  journey  to  the  Klondike, 
the  patient  industry  of  years  or  the  grapple  in 
Wall  Street. 

It  is  one  thing  to  want  knowledge,  but  quite 
another  to  be  willing  to  climb  Parnassus  after 
it;  to  pursue  the  weary  quest — line  upon  line, 
precept  on  precept,  here  a  little  and  there  a  lit- 
tle— from  the  alphabet  to  the  University  and 
then  along  the  post-graduate  curriculum  that 
leads  to  the  Pierian  spring. 

It  is  one  thing  to  want  to  go  to  heaven  and 
enjoy  the  felicities  of  the  everlasting  life,  but 
quite  another  to  be  willing  to  plod  on  along  the 
narrow  road  till  one  reaches  the  little  wicket- 
gate  through  which  all  must  pass  in. 

Jesus  said,  "  If  any  man  will  come  after  me, 
let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross, 
and  follow  me."  He  was  the  frankest  teacher 
that  ever  lived.  He  never  said  that  it  was  an 
easy  matter  to  live  a  good  life.  He  presented 
the  difficulties  so  plainly  that  many  of  those  who 


WHAT   THE    WISE    MEN    SAW      59 

followed  him,  being  offended  at  his  hard  sayings, 
"  went  back  and  walked  no  more  with  him."  All 
wanted  to  be  saved,  but  not  all  were  willing  to 
meet  the  conditions  affixed  to  the  proffer  of  life. 
Still  further,  these  Magi  were  about  to  see 
what  they  had  been  directed  to  see. 

The    star    went    before    them.      It    beckoned 
them ;  it  spoke  to  them,  saying,  "  Follow  !     Fol- 
low, and  ye  shall  find  him !  "     Let  quaint  Robert 
Herrick  instruct  us : 
The  Wise  Men: 

"  Tell  us,  thou  clear  and  heavenly  tongue, 
Where  is  the  Babe  but  lately  sprung? 
Lies  he  the  lily-banks  among? 
Declare  to  us,  bright  Star,  if  we  shall  seek 
Him  in  the  morning's  blushing  cheek, 
Or  search  the  beds  of  spices  through, 
To  find  him  out?" 

The  Star: 

"  No,  this  ye  need  not  do : 
But  only  come,  and  see  him  rest 
A  princely  Babe  on  's  Mother's  breast." 

There  was  nothing  singular  in  this  harbinger. 
Every  man  has  his  star.  Napoleon  was  right  in 
speaking  of  his  "  star  of  destiny  " ;  for  the  issues 
of  life  are  involved  in  our  following  the  guidance 
which  is  divinely  given  us. 


60  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

One  man's  star  is  the  light  of  nature,  another's 
the  light  of  revelation ;  but  for  every  man  there  is 
light  enough  if  only  he  will  follow  it. 

I  have  heard  of  a  lad  who  ran  away  from 
home  and  during  years  of  a  seafaring  life  was 
haunted  by  the  memory  of  his  mother's  voice  as 
she  knelt  by  his  bedside  on  the  last  night.  He 
heard  that  voice  again  and  again  as  he  swung  in 
his  hammock  amid  the  storms.  At  length,  grown 
and  bearded,  he  presented  himself  at  the  door- 
way of  the  old  home,  saying,  "  Mother,  you  have 
prayed  me  back."     He  had  followed  his  star. 

The  memory  of  a  face,  pure  and  sweet, 
crowned  with  orange  blossoms  and  eloquent  of 
love,  or  a  book  or  a  sermon,  or  the  influence  of 
a  godly  life  shining  through  the  journey  of  years 
like  a  patch  of  blue  sky  to  one  lost  in  the  forest 
— any  of  these  may  be  a  guiding  star,  to  follow 
which  will  bring  one  to  Joseph's  house  and  the 
vision  of  life.  "  Lead,  kindly  Light,  amid  the 
encircling  gloom,  lead  thou  me  on !  " 

And,  once  more,  these  men  were  certain  to  see 
what  they  had  determined  to  see. 

For  this  also  is  true :  "  Ye  shall  seek  me  and 
find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for  me  with  all  your 
heart." 

If  there  was  a  Christ  anywhere  on  earth,  these 
Magi  were  firmly  resolved  to  find  him. 


WHAT   THE   WISE    MEN    SAW      61 

As  soon  as  the  star  appeared  they  rose  up, 
left  their  occupations,  and  set  out.  A  great  point 
is  gained  when  a  man,  feeling  his  need  of  a 
Saviour,  takes  the  first  step  toward  him. 

And  they  persisted  in  their  quest.  There  were 
many  difficulties ;  mountains  to  be  climbed  and 
wildernesses  to  be  crossed.  Doubtless  their 
faith  was  sorely  tried  at  times.  It  may  be  that 
they  talked  with  other  Magi  on  the  way,  who 
sought  to  persuade  them  that  the  star  was  only 
"  a  conjunction  of  planets  "  and  therefore  of  no 
special  significance.  But  their  conviction  was 
so  deep  that  they  could  not  be  reasoned  out  of  it. 

Once,  indeed,  they  paused  to  parley  by  the 
way :  and  the  star  vanished !  But  when  they  set 
forth  again,  still  resolute  and  pressing  on  by  a 
dead  reckoning,  as  it  were,  lo,  the  star  reappeared 
and  went  before  them. 

And  their  purpose  was  at  length  rewarded ; 
for,  "  lo,  the  star  came  and  stood  over  where  the 
young  child  was."  Thus  perseverance  wins.  Be 
not  weary,  therefore,  in  well  doing.  These  men 
were  sure  to  see  because  they  deserved  to  see. 

Toil  on !    In  hope  o'ercome 

The  steeps  God  set  for  thee ; 
For  past  the  Alpine  summits  of  great  toil 

Lieth  thine  Italy ! 


62  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

We  left  the  Wise  Men  standing  at  the  door  of 
the  cottage.  They  lift  the  latch  and  enter.  What 
is  here? 

A  child  in  a  mother's  arms  to  whom  she  sings 
a  lullaby,  "  Sleep,  my  baby,  sleep."  Is  this  what 
the  Wise  Men  came  to  see  ?  Yes,  and  a  full  re- 
ward for  all  their  toil  and  weariness. 

This  is  the  long-looked-for  Messiah.  In  the 
person  of  this  Child  the  warp  and  woof  of  Deity 
and  humanity  are  interwoven  in  a  pattern  which 
baffles  all  mortal  ken.  The  prophecy  is  fulfilled : 
"  A  virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a  child,  and 
shall  call  his  name  Emmanuel ;  which,  being  in- 
terpreted, is  God  with  us." 

Yes,  dearest  Babe,  those  tiny  hands, 

That  play  with  Mary's  hair, 
The  weight  of  all  the  mighty  world 

This  very  moment  bear ! 
While  thou  art  clasping  Mary's  neck 

In  timid,  tight  embrace, 
The  boldest  seraphs  veil  themselves 

Before  thine  infant  face! 
When  Mary  hath  appeased  thy  thirst 

And  hushed  thy  feeble  cry, 
The  hearts  of  men  lie  open  still 

Before  thy  slumbering  eye ! 

And  what  do  the  Wise  Men  do  in  the  pres- 


WHAT   THE  WISE   MEN   SAW      63 

ence  of  this  mystery?  Do  they,  as  might  be 
expected  of  a  company  of  Magi,  institute  a 
scientific  investigation  as  to  the  rationale  of  the 
Incarnation?  There  is  a  time  for  logic,  for 
psychology,  for  theological  controversy ;  but  not 
here  or  now.  These  men  were  competent  to 
carry  on  a  scientific  argument  in  that  manner, 
had  they  been  so  disposed ;  but  in  refraining,  then 
and  there,  they  showed  themselves  to  be  Wise 

Men. 

When  I  go  down  into  my  garden  to  pluck  a 
rose  and  enjoy  its  sweetness,  I  thank  no  botanist 
for  insisting  on  tearing  its  leaves  asunder  to  in- 
vestigate the  secret  of  its  perfume. 

When  I  go  into  the  meadow  to  hear  a  skylark 
sing,  I  thank  no  anatomist  for  interrupting  my 
rapt  pleasure  with  a  proposal  to  dissect  its  vocal 
apparatus  in  order  that  he  may  scrutinize  the 
mystery  of  its  song. 

When  I  return  from  a  weary  absence  and  my 
old  mother  throws  her  arms  about  me  and  kisses 
me  again  and  again  on  either  cheek,  I  resent  the 
science  of  the  wisest  psychologist  who  insists  on 
a  calculation,  with  the  aid  of  mind-meters  and 
logarithms,  as  to  the  number  of  mother's  kisses 
it  takes  to  prove  a  mother's  love. 

So  here  the  Wise  Men,  who  had  set  forth  not 
on    a    philosophizing    venture    but    to    find    a 


VII 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE 
EMPEROR 

VJ^^^HE    Incarnation    was    an    invasion. 
J^^T^\  God  crossed  the  border  into  the  ter- 

■  J  ritory  of  Earthly  Power.     No  trum- 

^^^^^  pets  were  heard,  no  roar  of  artillery 
disturbed  the  quiet  of  the  early 
morning.  A  mother  sat  crooning  to  an  Infant 
in  her  arms.  That  was  all ;  but  it  was  the  first 
note  of  the  onset.  What  could  be  more  helpless 
than  the  pink,  dimpled  hand  that  lay  upon  that 
mother's  breast?  Yet  that  hand  was  destined  to 
cut  the  sinews  of  Roman  supremacy  and  change 
the  currents  of  history  through  the  ages. 

The  arrival  of  the  Magi  at  Jerusalem  passing 
from  door  to  door  with  the  question,  "Where 
is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?  "  threw  the 
naturally  suspicious  Herod  into  a  paroxysm  of 
jealous  fear.  Well  might  he  be  troubled;  old, 
feeble,  bloody-minded,  pursued  by  conscience, 
harried  by  the  furies  of  his  mislived  past,  this 
Jdumean  usurper,  representing  Caesar's  author- 

65 


66  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

ity  in  Judea,  was  ill  prepared  to  meet  a  new  dis- 
turbance of  his  provincial  rule.  And  his  fear 
was  well  grounded,  since  Jesus  was  really  of 
the  royal  line.  One  can  scarcely  wonder,  know- 
ing how  insecure  was  his  hold  on  power,  at  the 
outburst  of  his  wrath  in  the  Slaughter  of  the  In- 
nocents. It  was  like  the  scream  of  a  falcon  in 
a  dovecote,  or  the  ravaging  of  a  wolf  among 
sheep.  The  man  and  the  time  must  be  borne  in 
mind.  As  to  the  man,  a  lurid  sidelight  was 
thrown  upon  his  character  when  the  Emperor 
Augustus,  on  being  informed  that  the  infant  son 
of  Herod  himself  had  perished  in  this  massacre, 
observed,  "  It  were  better  to  be  one  of  his  swine 
than  one  of  his  children."  As  to  the  time,  it 
makes  a  great  difference  whether  an  event  is 
dated  "  B.  C."  or  "A.  D."  This  was  before 
Christ.  Life  was  cheap  in  those  days.  A  pla- 
card may  be  seen  on  a  ruined  wall  in  Pompeii 
announcing  an  entertainment  thus :  "  In  the 
Arena  a  hundred  men  will  fight  with  ferocious 
beasts."  Line  up  the  victims.  Drag  out  the 
dead !     Such  was  Paganism  in  its  Golden  Age. 

The  incident  at  Bethlehem,  however,  was  a 
mere  preliminary  skirmish.  The  murder  of  a 
score  of  children  was  an  episode  of  slight  conse- 
quence in  the  royal  policies  of  those  days.  And 
it  failed  to  accomplish  its  purpose ;  for  "  Joseph 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE  EMPEROR     67 

arose  and  took  the  young  child  and  his  mother 
by  night  and  fled  into  Egypt." 

The  affair  was  shrewdly  planned ;  but  Herod 
reckoned  without  God.  The  futility  of  the 
bloody  deed  is  set  forth  in  two  masterpieces  of 
recent  art.  One  of  them  is  Holman  Hunt's 
"  Triumph  of  the  Innocents,"  in  which  Joseph 
and  the  virgin  mother  and  her  Child  are  repre- 
sented on  their  way  to  Egypt  followed  by  the 
spirits  of  the  slain  innocents ;  one  of  them  carry- 
ing a  golden  censer  while  the  others  come  troop- 
ing after  with  palm  branches.  These  are  the 
vanguard  of  that  noble  army  of  martyrs  who 
ever  since  have  followed  in  his  train.  The  other 
picture  is  "  The  Repose  in  Egypt "  by  Merson. 
It  represents  the  dull-eyed,  wondering  Sphinx  on 
the  verge  of  the  desert,  between  the  world  with- 
out hope  and  the  world  of  progress.  It  is  night. 
In  the  arms  of  the  great  image  the  mother  re- 
poses with  the  Child  on  her  bosom ;  and  from 
his  face  there  radiates  a  light  which  penetrates 
the  darkness  of  the  surrounding  wastes. 

That  was  indeed  a  memorable  flight,  the  first 
strategic  move  in  the  long  campaign  of  cen- 
turies. It  was  a  retreat  preparatory  to  an  ad- 
vance all  along  the  line. 

We   do  not  see  the   Child   and  the   Emperor 


68  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

face  to  face  again  until  the  Child  has  grown  to 
manhood.  His  ministry  is  under  way.  He  has 
gone  up  and  down  among  the  villages  preaching, 
working  wonders,  troubling  the  corrupt  times. 
His  name  is  on  every  lip.  He  enters  Jerusalem 
at  length  and  begins  to  preach.  Herod,  desirous 
of  making  an  end  of  his  influence,  presumes  to 
threaten  him.*  His  underlings  come  to  Jesus, 
saying,  "  Get  thee  out  and  depart  hence,  for 
Herod  will  kill  thee !  "  But  Jesus  sees  through 
the  shallow  device  of  the  intriguing  court.  Ob- 
serve his  calm  disdain :  "  Go  tell  that  fox,  Be- 
hold I  cast  out  devils  and  do  cures  to-day  and 
to-morrow,  and  the  third  day  I  shall  be  perfected. 
Tell  him,  I  must  walk  to-day  and  to-morrow  and 
the  day  following ;  for  it  cannot  be  that  a  prophet 
shall  perish  out  of  Jerusalem."  And  the  work 
goes  on. 

In  vain  does  the  earthworm  lift  its  head  against 
the  chariot  of  the  King.  "  I  must  walk !  "  The 
behest  of  divine  duty  is  upon  Jesus ;  and  who  or 
what  shall  prevent  it?  He  must  accomplish  the 
mighty  task  which  has  brought  him  from  heaven 
to  earth.  "  The  kings  of  the  earth  do  set  them- 
selves and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together,  say- 

*This  is  not  the  Herod  of  the  massacre,  but  Herod 
Antipas,  another  of  a  smaller  mould,  who  has  been 
characterized  by  a  distinguished  historian  as  "  the 
meanest  thing  the  world  ever  saw," 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE  EMPEROR     69 

ing,  Let  us  break  his  bands  asunder  and  cast 
his  cords  from  us !  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heav- 
ens shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in 
derision." 

It  is  the  story  of  the  centuries.  "  Kindle  the 
fagots !  Sharpen  the  sword !  Let  loose  the 
lions !  "  cries  Caesar.  "  We  will  make  an  end  of 
the  Nazarene  and  his  religion ! "  But  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs  is  ever  the  seed  of  the  Church. 
The  royal  standards  onward  go.  "  I  must  walk !  " 
says  the  Master.  "  I  must  walk  in  majesty  upon 
the  heights  of  Bozrah  with  garments  dyed  red. 
I  must  walk  in  the  glory  of  him  who  cometh 
from  Teman  with  the  pestilence  before  him." 

"  Herod  will  kill  thee,"  forsooth.  So  they 
said  in  The  Terror,  when  the  streets  of  Paris  were 
red  and  slippery  with  blood  of  the  innocents. 
The  image  of  the  Virgin  Mother  was  torn  from 
its  shrine  in  Notre  Dame  and  supplanted  by  a 
notorious  woman  of  the  demi-monde,  whom  the 
mob  worshipped  as  Goddess  of  Reason.  Through 
the  clash  of  arms  and  the  shriek  of  the  dying  was 
heard  the  grim  word  of  Voltaire,  "  Crush  the 
Nazarene ! "  But  calm  over  all  rose  the  com- 
manding voice  of  the  Master,  "  I  must  walk  to- 
day, to-morrow  and  the  day  following!  I  must 
lead  my  militant  hosts  until  the  tabernacle  of 
God  shall  come  down  among  men." 


70  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

So  runs  the  Parable  of  Progress :  "  For  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed,  which  a  man  took  and  sowed  in  his  field: 
which  indeed  is  the  least  of  all  seeds ;  but  when 
it  is  grown,  it  is  the  greatest  among  herbs,  and 
becometh  a  tree." 

The  next  meeting  of  Christ  and  Caesar  was  on 
the  last  day  of  the  public  ministry,  when  Jesus 
was  teaching  in  Solomon's  Porch.  The  Hero- 
dians,  representing  the  Roman  Government  in  the 
Jewish  Sanhedrin,  sent  a  delegation  to  ensnare 
him.  They  said,  "  Master,  we  know  that  thou 
teachest  truth  and  regardest  not  the  person  of 
men ;  tell  us,  therefore,  what  thinkest  thou,  Is 
it  lawful  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar  or  not?"  Ob- 
serve again  the  calm  disdain :  "  Why  tempt  ye 
me,  ye  mask-wearers?  Show  me  the  tribute 
money."  They  gave  him  a  penny ;  and  he  said, 
"  Whose  is  this  image  and  superscription  ? " 
They  answered,  "  Caesar's."  Then  said  he, 
"  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's 
and  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 

This  was  "  diplomacy  "  at  its  highest  and  best ; 
an  illustration  of  the  truth  that  "  peace  hath  its 
victories  no  less  renowned  than  war."  The  con- 
ference on  this  occasion  was  of  immeasurable 
importance   not  only  because  the  parties   con- 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE  EMPEROR     71 

cerned  were  the  authorities  of  earth  and  heaven, 
but  because  of  the  great  principle  which  was 
evolved  from  it. 

Once  and  again  the  world  powers  have  met,  in 
what  are  technically  known  as  "  conventions," 
for  the  distribution  of  spoils  or  the  division  of 
territory.  Such  was  the  Convention  of  1572, 
when  Catherine  de'  Medici  and  the  Duke  of  Alva 
met  on  the  borders  of  Spain  to  divide  between 
them  the  Continent,  of  Europe  for  the  inquisition 
of  faith.  Conventions  of  like  character  have 
been  held  by  the  so-called  Great  Powers  in  re- 
cent years  for  the  partition  of  China,  of  the  Dark 
Continent,  of  Korea.  For  the  most  part,  how- 
ever, they  have  left  out  Christ,  the  King  who 
sits  supreme  over  all. 

In  the  brief  and  inconspicuous  "  convention  " 
in  Solomon's  Porch  a  principle  was  laid  down 
which  formulated  for  all  time  the  right  relations 
of  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authority.  In  the 
proposition,  "Render  unto  Caesar  the  things 
which  are  Caesar's  and  unto  God  the  things  which 
are  God's,"  the  fact  is  fairly  stated  that  Church 
and  State  are  co-ordinate  powers;  that  they  are 
interdependent,  yet  independent  each  of  the 
other,  since  they  proceed  along  distinct  lines ; 
that  they  rest  on  mutual  support  and  are  entitled 


72  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

to  loyal  following,  since  both  alike  are  ordained 
of  God. 

The  last  meeting  of  Christ  and  Caesar  was  in 
the  judgment  hall.  "And  Pilate  saith  unto 
Jesus,  Art  thou  a  king?  He  answered,  Thou 
sayest  it;  to  this  end  was  I  born  and  for  this 
cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear 
witness  of  the  truth.  And  Pilate  brought  Jesus 
forth  and  sat  down  in  the  judgment  seat  in  the 
place  that  is  called  Gabbatha ;  and  he  said,  Be- 
hold your  king !  But  they  cried  out,  Away  with 
him!  Away  with  him!  Crucify  him!  Pilate 
saith  unto  them,  Shall  I  crucify  your  king? 
They  answered,  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar. 
Then  delivered  he  him  unto  them  to  be  crucified. 
And  Pilate  wrote  a  title  and  put  it  on  the  cross, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews." 

Thus  the  issue  was  fairly  drawn;  they  would 
have  no  king  but  Caesar.  And  Jesus  submitted. 
He  bowed  .his  head  to  the  powers  that  be.  For 
three  mortal  hours,  hung  up  between  heaven  and 
earth,  he  bore  the  shame  and  agony;  then  with 
a  fluttering  sigh  yielded  up  the  ghost. 

Defeat!  Manifest  defeat!  Nay;  he  did  but 
stoop  to  conquer.  Had  he  not  said,  "  Except  a 
corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it 
abideth  alone;  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE  EMPEROR     73 

much  fruit "  ?  Wait.  To-day,  to-morrow  and 
the  day  following,  and  then  he  will  be  perfected ! 
He  breaks  the  bands  of  death  and  ascends  on 
high,  taking  captivity  captive.  The  veil  is 
drawn  and,  lo,  yonder  he  sits  upon  his  throne 
high  and  lifted  up,  saying,  "  Fear  not ;  I  am  he 
that  liveth  and  was  dead,  and,  behold,  I  am 
alive  forevermore !  "  Alive  ?  Ay,  witness  the 
nineteen  centuries  of  Christian  progress.  He  is 
alive,  as  no  other  historic  personage  is  alive,  in 
the  councils  of  nations  and  of  men.  As  the 
white  plume  of  Henry  of  Navarre  was  ever  to 
be  seen  in  the  forefront  of  battle,  so  are  the  pres- 
ence and  power  of  Jesus  manifest  in  the  con- 
flicts of  the  ages. 

And  now  at  the  end  of  the  years  we  stand 
again  at  the  watch-tower  calling,  "  Watchman, 
what  of  the  night?" 

And  the  watchman  answers,  "  The  night  lin- 
gers, but  the  shadows  flee !  " 

"And  what  of  Caesar ?" 

"  An  empty  name !  " 

"What  of  Rome  and  the  Great  Powers?" 

"  One  by  one  they  flourish  and  are  gone !  " 

"What 'of  the  Church?" 

"  Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken,  Zion, 
city  of  our  God ! " 

"And,  watchman,  what  of  Christ?" 


74  IN   DAVID'S   TOWN 

"  He  goeth  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer ! 
The  head  that  once  was  crowned  with  thorns 
is  crowned  with  glory  now.  His  kingdom  is 
an  everlasting  kingdom  and  his  dominion  is  for- 
ever and  ever." 

The  end  should  have  been  seen  from  the  be- 
ginning. It  is  vain  to  fight  against  God.  The 
Child  sits  upon  his  throne  of  power  and  the 
hearts  of  the  mighties  are  in  his  hands  as  the 
rivers  of  water.  He  came  to  establish  his  king- 
dom on  earth;  and  he  will  not  forbear  until  he 
reigns  universally. 

Can  we  read  history  in  the  light  of  the  In- 
carnation? If  not,  the  lines  are  blurred  before 
our  eyes.  The  logic  of  events  is  as  meaningless 
as  were  the  scars  and  fissures  on  the  rocks  until 
a  scientist  came,  saying,  "  Once  upon  a  time  a 
glacier  passed  this  way."  So  the  philosophy  of 
history  clears  up  when  men  look  toward  Beth- 
lehem and  say,  "  Behold,  the  invasion !  "  In  the 
light  of  that  stupendous  event  we  are  able  not 
only  to  read  old  chronicles,  but  to  discern  the 
signs  of  the  times.  All  the  incidents  of  these 
nineteen  centuries  array  themselves  in  lines  con- 
verging toward  the  final  conquest  of  the  world 
by  Christ. 

What  then?  The  part  of  reason  is  manifestly 
to  fall  in  with  the  advance.     The  silver  trumpet 


THE  CHILD  AND  THE  EMPEROR     75 

calls.  The  Rider  on  the  white  horse  leads  his 
militant  host  to  victory.  Armageddon  is  near. 
Gog  and  Magog  to  the  fray!  It  is  Christ 
against  Caesar.  It  is  truth  against  error.  It  is 
light  against  darkness.  It  is  freedom  against 
tyranny.  It  is  the  Golden  Age  against  the  dark 
ages.     It  is  heaven  against  hell. 

Where  do  we  stand?     Under  what  King,  the 
Child  or  the  Emperor? 


VIII 

THE    CLOSING    HYMN 

HE  Bells  of  Isaiah  find  a  fitting 
response  in  the  Hymn  of  the  In- 
carnation : 

And  without  controversy, 

Great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness; 

He  who  was  manifested  in  the  flesh, 

Justified  in  the  spirit, 

Seen  of  angels, 

Preached  among  the  nations, 

Believed  on  in  the  world, 

Received  up  in  glory. 

Thus  Prophet  and  Apostle  join  across  the  cen- 
turies to  celebrate  the  Advent.  For  each  rever- 
berating note  of  the  bells  we  shall  find  a  cor- 
responding strophe. 

A  singular  interest  attaches  to  this  hymn  for  a 
number  of  reasons.  It  is  not  a  mere  product  of 
genius,  like  Milton's  Song  of  the  Advent,  but 
of  inspiration,  which  is  something  vastly  higher, 
as  the  word  suggests,  "breathed  of  God."  It 
was  probably  used  in  the  service  of  the  early 

76 


THE    CLOSING   HYMN  77 

church.  Pliny  says,  "  The  Christians  were  wont 
to  meet  together  on  a  stated  day  before  it  was 
light  and  sing  among  themselves  alternately  a 
hymn  to  Christ  as  to  God."  Its  substance  is 
identical  with  John  3:16:  "  God  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."  It  is  a  formulated 
statement  of  the  Incarnation,  which  lies  at  the 
center  of  the  Christian  system,  or  rather  forms 
the  foundation  of  it. 

And  the  hymn  was  written  by  Paul.  This  is  the 
more  remarkable  because  he  was  so  distinctly  a 
dialectician.  As  a  man  of  culture,  however,  he  was 
not  unfamiliar  with  the  poetic  art.  The  rhyth- 
mic movement  of  this  paragraph  is  unmistak- 
able. It  consists  of  four  stanzas,  each  of  which 
is  a  couplet,  after  the  manner  of  the  parallelism 
in  the  Psalms.  It  is  like  a  chain  of  double  links. 
The  whole  proceeds  in  lyric  cadences  with  a 
majestic  swing,  logical  and  progressive,  to  the 
ultimate  climax,  in  which  Christ  is  seen  return- 
ing from  his  redemptive  work  to  his  throne  in 
glory. 

first  strophe: 

And  without  controversy, 

Great  is  the  Mystery  of  Godliness. 


78  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

By  "  godliness "  in  this  instance  we  are  to 
understand  not  distinctively  a  divine  attribute 
nor  yet  a  human  grace,  but  a  combination  of 
both  in  the  vital  union  of  God  with  man. 

The  Apostle  concedes  this  to  be  a  mystery. 
As  a  rule,  he  was  both  ready  and  competent  to 
hold  his  own  in  an  argument ;  but  here  there  was 
no  occasion  for  it,  because  the  mystery  was 
"  without  controversy."  Thus  at  the  outset  he 
provokes  a  disclaimer,  since  we  are  naturally 
averse  to  mysteries,  particularly  in  the  province 
of  religious  things. 

But  why  should  a  fact  be  rejected  because  we 
are  unable  to  comprehend  it?  Are  we  not  com- 
passed about  by  mysteries?  We  eat,  drink  and 
breathe  them.  They  struggle  for  utterance  in 
every  heart-beat.  We  cannot  put  down  our  feet 
without  treading  on  them  or  lift  up  our  hands 
without  grasping  them.  Science  and  philosophy, 
as  well  as  theology,  are  full  of  them.  He  who 
refuses  to  accept  a  proposition  because  it  is 
beyond  his  ken  will  find  his  creed  dwindling  to 
nil.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  godliness, 
which  is  the  very  summit  of  truth — since  it  de- 
scribes truth  in  its  application  to  life — should 
baffle  the  apprehension  of  the  physical  senses. 
He  who  refuses  to  accept  it  by  faith  will  never 
accept  it  at  all. 


THE    CLOSING   HYMN  79 

SECOND   STROPHE  : 

He  who  was  manifested  in  the  flesh, 
Justified  in  the  spirit. 

The  word  "  manifest "  implies  a  previous  con- 
cealment.    Here  is  a  reference  to  the  pre-exist- 
ence  of  Christ.     He  had  been  "  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Father."     He  not  infrequently  refers  to  "  the 
glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the 
world   was."     He   came  to   manifest   or   reveal 
God  to  the  children  of  men.     The  deepest  long- 
ing of  the  average  man  is  to  know  God.     "  Oh, 
that  I  knew,"  cries  Job,  "  where  I  might  find 
him !    Behold  I  go  forward,  but  he  is  not  there ; 
and  backward,  but  I  cannot  perceive  him :  on  the 
left  hand,  where  he  doth  work,  but  I  cannot  be- 
hold him ;  he  hideth  himself  on  the  right  hand, 
that  I  cannot  see  him."     It  was  to  answer  this 
yearning  of  the  soul  that  God  assumed  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us.     I  do  not  believe  that  we  shall 
ever  see  God  except  as  we  behold  him  in  Christ, 
"in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  God- 
head bodily,"  the  fulness  of  him  that  filleth  all 

in  all. 

As  such  he  is  "  justified  in  the  spirit."  The 
parallel  here  is  between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit. 
The  manifestation  of  God  in  the  flesh  of  Jesus 
was  justified  or  authenticated  by  the  spirit  or 
manner  of  his  life.     In  other  words,  his  singular 


80  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

humanity  is  the  best  proof  of  his  divinity.  This 
was  what  Theodore  Parker  meant  when  he  said, 
"  Measure  Jesus  by  the  shadow  he  has  cast  into 
the  world,  or  rather  by  the  light  he  has  cast  upon 
it.  What  man  could  have  fabricated  a  Jesus  ? 
None  but  a  Jesus."  It  is  impossible  to  account 
for  him  otherwise  than  on  the  hypothesis  that  he 
was  what  he  claimed  to  be,  that  is,  very  God  of 
very  God.  His  life  was  without  sin ;  so  blame- 
less that  he  alone  of  all  the  children  of  men  was 
able  to  utter  the  challenge,  "  Which  of  you  con- 
vinceth  me  of  sin  ? "  The  man  who  betrayed 
him  said,  "  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood ! " 
The  judge  who  sentenced  him  to  death  said: 
"  Behold  the  man !  I  find  no  fault  in  him  at  all." 
The  officer  who  had  charge  of  his  execution  said, 
"  Verily,  this  was  a  righteous  man ! "  and  again, 
"  Verily,  this  was  the  Son  of  God !  "  His  teach- 
ing was  with  such  authority  that  his  enemies 
were  moved  to  exclaim,  "  Never  man  spake  like 
this  man ! "  His  works  were  so  beneficent  that 
his  biography  was  briefly  comprehended  in  this 
monograph :  "  He  went  about  doing  good."  His 
death  was  so  remarkable  that  Rousseau,  who 
wrote  against  him  as  an  impostor,  was  moved 
to  cry,  "  If  Socrates  died  like  a  man,  then  Jesus 
died  like  a  god ! "  So  the  spirit  of  the  Man  was 
the  supreme  justification  of  his  Godhood. 


THE    CLOSING   HYMN  81 

THIRD   STROPHE! 

Seen  of  angels, 

Preached  unto  the  Gentiles. 

It  is  a  fact  beyond  all  question  that  we  make 
too  little  of  the  ministry  of  angels.  The  gross 
and  grotesque  perversion  of  the  doctrine  has 
driven  us  to  the  extreme  of  ignoring  it.  The 
plain  teaching  of  the  Scriptures  is  that  angels 
and  glorified  saints  take  a  profound  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  this  world.  "  Are  they  not  all 
ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  unto 
them  that  are  heirs  of  salvation?" 

How  oft  do  they  their  silver  bowers  leave, 
To  come  to  succor  us  that  succor  want ! 
How  oft  do  they  with  golden  pinions  cleave 
The  flittering  skies,  like  flying  pursuivant, 
Against  foul  fiends  to  aid  us  militant ! 
They  for  us  fight ;  they  watch,  and  duly  ward, 
And  their  bright  squadrons  round  about  us 

plant ; 
And  all  for  love  and  nothing  for  reward ; 
Oh,  why  should  heavenly  God  to  men  have 

such  regard? 

But  if  the  angels  are  interested  in  our  welfare, 
how  much  more  in  that  of  the  divine  Son  of 
Man !  He  was  seen  of  them  when  he  went  forth 
from  heaven,  as  a  knight  errant,  to  the  rescue 


82  IN    DAVID'S    TOWN 

of  our  sin-stricken  race.  They  sang  his  birth- 
song  :  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on 
earth  peace,  good-will  toward  men ! "  They 
were  with  him  in  his  temptation  in  the  wilderness 
and  "  ministered  unto  him."  They  were  with 
him  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  and  when  he 
sweated  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood,  they 
again  ministered  unto  him.  As  he  hung  upon 
the  cross  in  mortal  anguish,  they  hovered  about 
him  in  legions,  ready  at  a  word  to  rescue  him. 
They  rolled  away  the  stone  from  his  sepulchre 
and  announced  to  his  bereaved  disciples  the  glad 
tidings  of  his  triumph  over  death.  At  his  as- 
cension they  thronged  his  chariot  wheels  and 
bore  him  aloft  to  his  throne,  crying,  "  Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  the  King  of  glory 
shall  come  in  !  " 

And  the  Christ—thus  manifest,  justified  and 
divinely  attended — is  "  preached  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles " ;  that  is,  unto  all  nations  and  the  children 
of  men.  In  this  the  religion  of  Christ  stands 
solitary  and  alone.  All  other  religions  are 
ethnic ;  that  is,  conditioned  by  national  limita- 
tions. Judaism  itself  was  regarded  as  a  relig- 
ion for  Jews  only,  all  others  being  regarded  as 
"  afar  off."  So  when  Jesus  was  announced  as 
a  universal  Saviour,  it  was  enough  to  enlist  the 
opposition  of  all  loyal  Jews. 


THE    CLOSING   HYMN  83 

Now  Paul  had  been  brought  up  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  Jewish  prejudice.  He  was  a  Jew  of 
the  Jews,  "  of  the  straitest  sect  of  the  Pharisees." 
His  whole  life  was  lived  after  this  manner  until 
the  memorable  day  when  the  truth  came  to  him 
in  a  sunburst  on  the  Damascus  highway.  There 
he  received  his  commission.,  "  I  will  send  thee  far 
hence  unto  the  Gentiles."  His  whole  conception 
of  religion  was  revolutionized  by  that  word. 
The  religion  of  Christ  is  a  world-wide  religion. 
He  was  lifted  up  that  he  might  draw  all  men 
unto  him.  Here  is  a  truth  of  tremendous  im- 
port which  the  church  has  not  yet  fully  compre- 
hended. The  middle  wall  of  partition  is  broken 
down !  In  Christ  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek, 
Barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  nor  free.  There  is 
"  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and 
Father  of  all." 

FOURTH    STROPHE! 

Believed  on  in  the  world, 
Received  up  in  glory. 

We  wonder  sometimes,  in  view  of  the  over- 
whelming testimony  as  to  the  character  and  mis- 
sion of  Christ,  that  any  soul  should  reject  him. 
But  the  real  wonder  is  that  any  should  receive 
him.     For   he   is    indeed    "  a    root    out    of    dry 


84  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

ground  " ;  and  "  there  is  no  form  or  comeliness 
that  we  should  desire  him."  So  it  is  written, 
"  He  came  unto  his  own  and  his  own  received 
him  not " ;  but  it  is  added,  "  To  as  many  as  re- 
ceived him  to  them  gave  he  the  right  to  become 
the  sons  of  God." 

Some  did  receive  him.  The  first  of  believers 
was  his  mother,  who  cherished  in  her  heart  the 
fond  secret  of  the  Incarnation  and  pondered  it. 
John  the  Baptist  was  also  a  believer ;  he  con- 
fessed in  the  notable  words,  "  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God !  "  One  after  another  the  thoughtful 
came  to  him ;  John  and  James  and  the  others  of 
the  Twelve,  the  ministering  women,  and  three 
thousand  at  Pentecost  in  a  single  day.  As  the 
years  passed,  the  number  increased  in  ever-wid- 
ening circles  until  there  are  hundreds  of  millions 
who  affix  their  faith  to  him. 

Waft,  waft,  ye  winds,  his  story, 

And  you,  ye  waters,  roll, 
Till,  like  a  sea  of  glory, 

It  spreads  from  pole  to  pole ! 

And  his  work  being  finished,  "  He  was  re- 
ceived up  in  glory."  The  stranger  having  ful- 
filled his  mission,  having  laid  the  foundation 
of  a  universal  kingdom  in  his  atoning  blood,  now 
returned  to  his  throne. 


THE    CLOSING   HYMN  85 

The  merit  before  his  crucifixion  he  held  a  fare- 
well  interview  with  his  disciples  in  which  he 
said  to  them,  "  I  go  away ;  and  whither  I 
go  ye  know,  and  the  way  ye  know."  In  an- 
swer to  their  sorrowful  questions  he  told  them 
plainly  that  he  was  going  back  to  "  the  glory 
which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world 
was." 

At  the  appointed  time  he  met  them  on  Mount 
Olivet  and,  having  giving  them  his  parting  in- 
junction, "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  on  earth;  go  ye,  therefore,  preach 
the  gospel  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth, 
and  lo !  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the 
end,"  he  lifted  his  hands  in  blessing,  ascended 
out  of  their  midst,  and  the  heavens  opened  to 
receive  him. 

Thus  the  incarnate  God,  having  passed 
through  the  earth  as  a  pilgrim  and  sojourner, 
went  home.  And  his  departure  marked  the  be- 
ginning of  a  crusade  which  is  destined  to  con- 
tinue until  every  knee  shall  bow  before  him. 

How  different  his  career  from  that  of  the 
world's  great  men!  At  death  they  bid  farewell 
to  greatness,  put  off  their  purple  robes  and  lay 
aside  their  crowns.  The  life  of  civic  pomp,  of 
coronations  and  processions,  ends  at  death.  But 
just   there   Christ's    March   to   Victory    begins. 


86  IN    DAVID'S   TOWN 

The  little  wicket-gate  in  Joseph's  garden  is  his 
triumphal  arch ;  and  the  weeping  friends  who 
bear  him  to  his  tomb  are  the  vanguard  of  a 
procession  that  passes  up  through  the  centuries, 
with  ever-multiplying  accessions,  to  heaven's 
gate,  crying  "  Hosanna,  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David ! " 

The  Fifth  Strophe  of  this  Hymn  of  the  In- 
carnation has  yet  to  be  written;  and  history  is 
writing  it ;  to  wit : 

He  shall  triumph  over  all 
And  reign  forever  and  ever. 

This  is  the  last  of  the  double  links  in  the 
golden  chain  which  is  "  binding  the  whole  round 
world  about  the  feet  of  God."  The  Son  of  Man 
sits  on  his  heavenly  throne  "  expecting  until 
his  enemies  be  made  his  footstool." 

He  which  testifieth  these  things  saith,  "  Surely 
I  come  quickly."  Amen.  Even  so  come,  Lord 
Jesus! 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with 
you  all. 


DATE  DUE 

«*t^flfw  ,4auJ^ 

fciim«ftiw'iii 

T'    ■          "            -   s   *-.. 

Mfe' 

" 

GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  U    S    A. 

PS3503.U9I3 
In  David's  town. 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00081   6506 


